Productos de Conservación, S.A. as a young company of 10 years, is proud to be the agent in Spain for such an old and distinguished company as is J. Hewit & Sons, nearly 200 years. One of the more delightful aspects of representing J. Hewit & Sons is the valuable and unlimited support we receive from their staff, who are always available to explain the many and intricate uses of their products in the bookbinding world.

Productos de Conservación is a small Spanish company which sells products and materials for the restoration/conservation of works of art throughout Spain. Apart from bookbinders we also cater to all fields of restoration/conservation such as painting, paper, textiles, objects, archaeology, etc. We enjoy contributing and being part of preserving the past for the future.

We are located in the so called 'Triangle of Art' in Madrid. This triangle encompasses the big three museums of Madrid; The Prado, The Reina Sofia and the Foundation Thyssen-Bornenisza. Our shop, on Calle Almaden is not an ordinary shop.... can such a shop be ordinary? Customers, do not walk in, take a product from the shelf, pay and walk out. On the contrary we often have long chats with our customers about the products, their present projects, up and coming conferences or courses, the small fees paid in Spain for their valuable and artistic talents and their future prospects in a country where they are being told to tighten their belts.

Spain has a long history of bookbinding which is still strong and doing well as shown in a recent exhibition at the National Library, where the young bookbinders surprised the crowds with their strikingly beautiful and modern designs. This exhibition and other activities owe their origin to AFEDA, the recently formed Spanish Bookbinders Association, of which Productos de Conservación is proud to be a founding member. AFEDA publish a magazine which would be the envy of most associations. They are very active in the Spanish bookbinding world where they help bring together bookbinders from all of Spain and thus foster a sense of belonging to an old and worthy profession.

What a good idea it would be if AFEDA and the British bookbinding associations were to create an exchange programme. Something on a small scale whereby one English bookbinder and one Spanish bookbinder would spend a week in each other's country. Experience, new ideas and methods is one of the best ways to promote progress and understanding in any field.

Hasta la Vista