The demise of the independent retailers in the UK has been overshadowed by the inexorable rise of the chain stores. In Spain, it came as a surprise that there are still many independent stores occupying prime locations on the high street, particularly in towns outside the major cities. One category - what I would describe as knick knack shops, has a sizeable presence across Spain. These "mom and pop" shops sell everything under the sun, including the inevitable tourist tack. The shop windows were a treasure trove; the display concept was usually "We've got everything you never knew you wanted!"
There are a few of these stores on the main thoroughfare at Alcala de Henares, a suburb of Madrid (about a 45-minute train ride). The owners have a tendency of jamming everything into the shop window, which takes the notion of window shopping to a different level. 
This one at Ronda, Andalucia, is the star of them all - it is a mini department store. The staff working there must have a photographic memory of where every piece of stock is. On the day of our visit, the place was jam packed with buyers/browsers; this photo was taken during a lull in the foot traffic.
A shop at Zamora that sells ornaments including rosary beads. Since Spain is very much a secular society, many shops have cleared a space at their shop window to give prime of place to the Nativity scene; some of these festive displays were very elaborate.
This shop at Salamanca, central Spain, clearly targets at the passing tourist trade. The price tags are handwritten, giving the shop a real mom and pop feel.
The most fun came from a toy store in Ronda, Andulacia. Inside the cavernous shop, there was every toy imaginable. Some were stacked high above the display shelves, inviting face-to-face contact with the shop assistants if a shopper wanted to examine any item on the top shelves. It was here that we purchased a Chinese doll, now a friend to Cuddles.
