Amidst ruined buildings, La Valía sells tools, appliances, furniture and even beauty products.
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 16 June 2025 — A new private business has been illuminating Calle Monte in Central Havana for just a few days. The verb is not exaggerated. On a street filled with ruined buildings, closed premises, rubbish at the corners, beggars asking for alms and a persistent smell of urine, there suddenly emerged a gigantic hardware store selling in pesos called La Valía.
Located on the stretch between Ángeles and Águila, the shop has everything and is perfectly clean and air conditioned. There are work tools, plumbing articles, household appliances (washing machines at 65,000 pesos), electronic devices (televisions, at 150,000 pesos), cookware such as pressure cookers (over 20,000), water pumps (up to 11,340) and even furniture (a set of table and chairs, 152,000 pesos). They also have a section of watches and another of beauty products, including creams and shampoos, some of Japanese (O’ujiashi) and Korean (Roushun) brands.
Prices, although high, are perceived to be somewhat lower than on sites like Revolico or among informal resellers. “This is awesome,” commented a young man who came out of curiosity this weekend. “They have things I’ve never seen, like electronic door locks and a giant fan – I guess for private businesses, because who’s going to put that in their house, and who’s going to be able to pay?” he said, pointing at the label, which was marked 550,000 pesos.
For months, passers-by and neighbors in the area saw the renovation work going ahead at full speed. Last September, even with walls, doors and ceilings still under construction, an opulent space was expected. In those days of May, the one who seemed to be the owner or manager supervised the work, going back and forth to his car with a K number plate, which indicated that he was a foreigner.
In the WhatsApp group reporting the offers, it is specified that the trade is “retail sale”, although while it was under construction, a poster on the back wall saying “wholesale sale” could be seen. The workers shrugged their shoulders when asked about this change: “I don’t know”.
There is little information about the shop. La Valía, like similar businesses, does not appear on the list of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) of the Ministry of Economy and Planning. Nor does it have a website, which is normal for new private businesses, and it has only one Facebook page apart from the WhatsApp group.
In that sense, it resembles the A&M Bazaar, which, with several branches located in buildings and on unsafe streets, also draws attention for its opulence. Asked if La Valía has anything to do with A&M, an employee categorically denies it.
“Here if you do not buy, at least it serves to get away from the rubbish and lines,” said another woman with a dazed gesture of her hand embracing the panorama on Monte street. “It’s like an oasis in the desert.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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