14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, 14 March 2025 – Finding heavy bits of building spread about at the foot of 909 Calle Infanta, on the corner with Carlos III, in Havana’s centre, doesn’t surprise anybody. The building – especially the top floors which are still inhabited – has been in a ruined state for years. The only surprise is that there hasn’t been a more serious accident: in the ground floor of the building the new branch of Bazar A&M attracts hundreds of people every day.
This Friday, four days after the incident happened, caused by the recent cold weather front, the heavy pieces of stone remained in the middle of the street, hardly even cordoned off properly by a police tape. The shop not only remained open, it was heaving with people.
Customers were indeed in two minds about entering. “Oof, how terrible it looks!” was what the majority said when they looked up and saw the big hole in the top storey and the eaves destroyed, and with the wall ready to continue collapsing. “That’s very precarious, something disastrous is going to happen here at any moment”, said one woman who decided not to take the risk of entering the shop.
Since it first opened its doors last November where the state-run cafe Las Avenidas used to be, which lent its name to the building, the store has become one of the busiest in the area. “Yes, it’s quite expensive but it’s well stocked and has all the right departments: ironmongery, food, sweet shop, toiletries, everything”, one customer explained. “Nothing like other shops like La Época, where you go in and it’s like a deserted graveyard”.
The store is Bazar A&M’s third branch. The firm already had two stores in the same district of Havana, one on Neptuno/Lealdad and the other – a market – on Neptuno/Gervasio. A WhatsApp group run by someone calling themselves Valentina Vale announces its latest offers and prices.
The actual owners continue to be a mystery. Unlike other small/medium sized private businesses, Bazar A&M doesn’t have a website, and, although they sell a whole range of produce, they are registered at the Ministery of Planning and Economy with “Paper and Cardboard production” listed as being their main activity.
All three of the firm’s stores used to be state-run outlets, and, as has been seen repeatedly in recent years, they all opened without public tender or prior notice. For example, the “mixed” bazar Neptuno, which opened in 2023, occupies a space which used to be a clothing store that was falling into ruin.
Whoever the owners are, they don’t appear to be concerned about the condition of the building on Infanta/Carlos III. An elderly gentleman summed it up like this: “When you look up and see that part of the building is about to fall off, you say, ’Dear God, is there no one with the common sense to realize that a shop with such a large number of people shouldn’t be situated here!’ You can see that there are other bits of the wall that are going to fall off at any time. Certainly when the next rain comes. Hopefully they won’t fall on top of anyone”.
Translated by Ricardo Recluso
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.