Maty: There have always been exceptional people around the world.

Matilde de Urrutia (Maty) was only 14 years old when in 1943 she opened her first shop employing five shoemakers. In its early days, the establishment was dedicated to stitching stockings and mending clothes and shoes.

Everything changed when a lady came to the shop asking to repair her ballet shoes. She knew that in Spain it was impossible to find these shoes and of course she accepted the order.

She took this opportunity and transformed her shop into the reference shop in Madrid for costumes and shoes for dancing. And she started to produce ballet shoes.
The only mistake she made was to brand the shoes with her name….nobody wanted Spanish shoes, they didn’t have the prestige of French shoes or from other countries.

Of course she did not give up and this courage was rewarded in 2011 with the Gold Medal for Merit in Work.

Today, Maty, a lady of more than 90 years and still very active, owns 2 shops, one near Puerta del Sol ( Maestro Victoria, 2), just around the corner of our Trixi bike shop.

The other one is near Plaza Mayor (Hileras 7).  Maty is still at the top of the business, but the reins are now held by her four children.

In her wonderfully traditional shops she sells everything related to dancing: Flamenco dresses, ballet dresses, costumes for skating,carnaval, make-up, presents and much more. An ocean of colour and joy!

When you look into Maty´s website , you can see a separate menu for the San Isidro festivities which take place in May.

San Isidro is the patron of Madrid and therefore a very important celebration.

People dress in a very special way for that occasion:
Men usually wear a jacket or waistcoat with a carnation in the lapel, dark, tight-fitting trousers, a black and white checked cap, ankle boots and a white neckerchief, and women wear a headscarf with a red or white carnation, a white, tight-fitting blouse with a polka-dot skirt or a typical polka-dot dress down to their feet.

Let’s hope that we can soon dance on the streets again!