Shopping in Lisbon

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Window of a wine shop in Lisbon

 

Shopping in Lisbon is fun because there are many independent shops including vintage and traditional shops that are disappearing fast in London. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to shop, but I did manage to visit a few ‘essential’ shopping destinations and stumbled across some intriguing shops during my short stay.

 

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Embaixada

 

Embaixada  (Praça do Príncipe Real, 26, Príncipe Real) One of the newest and most exciting shopping destinations in Lisbon is this design/lifestyle concept store that opened in 2013. Located in a 19th century Moorish palace, Palacete Ribeiro da Cunha, it is hard not to be awestruck as you enter into this stunning building. The building accommodates retail spaces for more than 15 Portuguese brands over two floors, offering fashion, design, crafts, as well as an indoor and outdoor restaurant, bar and art exhibition space.

 

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Top: Real slow retail concept store; Bottom: Lisbon lovers

 

On the same street further down the street, there is another smaller concept store Real slow retail concept store which also offers fashion and lifestyle products with a small cafe inside. Next to it is Lisbon Lovers, a shop that sells Lisbon-related souvenir that is more design-focused than the average tacky ones.
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Shops and barber in Alfama

 

Meanwhile, Lisbon’s most emblematic and historical quarter, Alfama also offers some interesting crafts, traditional and quirkier souvenir shops including A Arte da Terra (Rua Augusto Rosa, 40).

 

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2nd left: Luvaria Ulisse; the rest: CHIcoracao

 

A few shoos up the hill, there is a wonderful woollen shop CHIcoracao (Rua Augusto Rosa 22-24), which has restored looms from the 60’s and the 70’s to produce their own range of high quality woollen blankets and fashion lines. The prices here are reasonable, and if I had the room in my small case, I certainly would have purchased one of their soft and locally made blanket home!

 

In Chaido, Luvaria Ulisse (Rua do Carmo, 87A, Chaido) is a contestantfor the title of “world’s smallest shop”. This tiny (4 square metre to be exact) art deco glove shop was founded in 1925 and can fit only about two or three people at a time. The shop manufactures all the gloves they sell, and it is the only specialist glove shop in Portugal. If you want to invest in a pair of high quality and stylish gloves that will last, then this is the place to visit.

 

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Top: Bertrand Livraria; Bottom: Fabula Urbis

 

Wandering the streets of Lisbon, I came across many bookstores including specialists and vintage ones. This, I think says a lot about the culture of Lisbon and its people.

Interestingly, the oldest bookshop in the world is in fact in Lisbon, and it even has a Guinness World Records certificate on a wall at the entrance to prove it. Bertrand Livraria (Rua Garrett 73 -75, Chiado) was founded in 1732, but it was destroyed after the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and moved to its present-day premises on Rua Garrett in 1773. This original branch has beautiful wood-paneled walls and a wide assortment of all types of books, including some English-language books at the back, offering translated Portuguese literature from names like Nobel Prize author José Saramago or Fernando Pessoa.

 

Fabula Urbis (Rua de Augusto Rosa, 27) in Alfama is a small gem that sells books and CDs that revolves around Lisbon, past and present. The subjects offered cover poetry, novels, history, politics, art, photography, crafts, textiles, fashion, theatre, cinema, opera, music, astronomy, archaeology, gastronomy, and travel etc.

Situated above the bookshop is a room designed with a stage and piano. It is used for evening recitals and exhibitions of paintings or photography. It is certainly more than just an ordinary book shop.

 

Palavra de Viajante (Rua de São Bento, 30) is a bookstore that is dedicated to travel. Aside from guide books and travel-related books, they also sell maps, games and notebooks. There is also a pleasant cafe that serves coffee, cakes and simple lunches.

 

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Top left: Notebooks at A Vida Portuguesa; Others: Artes e Letras Atelier and purchases from the shop

 

A Vida Portuguesa (Rua Anchieta 11, Chiado) is probably one of the most famous Portuguese shops thanks to its retro and quaint Portuguese packaging and products. The first Lisbon shop was launched in 2007, and since then it has even branched out to Porto (I love the interior and fittings of their Porto branch). The brand has established partnerships with many traditional Portuguese brands, and so all the products found here are quintessentially Portuguese. You will find bathroom essentials, homeware, food, toys and stationery including Viarcro pencils and Emílio Braga notebooks here.

I was on tram 28 passing through São Bento one day when I saw a shop that looks like a letterpress workshop. On the next day, I endeavoured to find the shop by following the tram route. I was quite thrilled when I eventually found it, and even more so when I stepped inside.

 

Artes e Letras Atelier (Rua dos Poiais de São Bento, 90) is indeed a letterpress workshop and shop that sells letterpress cards, prints and self-published art/ illustration books, with a small exhibition area at the back. I often feel extremely excited when I find gems like this in different cities, because usually they are not listed in guide books. Chatting to the owner, I found out that she is responsible for the designs of the cards and prints sold at the shop, and occasionally she will also print booklets and posters for other designers or small studios.

There are many quirky and unusual art and illustration books that are produced and published by local artists and designers. I felt almost like a kid in a candy store. With limited cash in my wallet (probably to my benefit that they don’t accept credit cards), I decided to purchase a letterpress postcard and an ‘erotic’ themed illustration book called “Acontorcionista manifesto” (see above). This shop is a must if you love letterpress and all printed matters!

 

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Casa Pélys

 

Like I mentioned earlier, there are many cool vintage shops in Lisbon and many of them are not listed in the guide books. One of them is Casa Pélys in Campo de Ourique. As soon as I walked into the shop, I felt like I was transported back in time… seeing the retro tiles on the floor, vintage children’s books, toys and homeware brought a smile to my face. The shop was once owned by a photographer Mr Pélys, hence you can still see the remnant of the signage Foto Pelys on the shop front. Now the new owner is a former bookseller who has turned the ground floor and basement into a mini flea market where one can rummage around for as long as one wishes.

 

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Vintage and antiques shops on Rua de São Bento

 

Rua de São Bento is home to many antiques and vintage shops, including The World of Vintage (Rua de São Bento 291) which specialises in 1950s – 1970s vintage furniture and objects.

 

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Top 2 rows: Conserveira de Lisboa; 3rd & 4th left: Loja das Conservas; 5th row: Parceria das Conservas at Mercado de Campo de Ourique

 

One of the most popular souvenir to bring home from Portugal is undoubtedly canned sardines! And there is an array of brands, flavours and packaging to choose from. But the top favourite shop and brand is Conserveira de Lisboa (Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, 34, Baixa), which is recommended in almost every guidebook. Opened in 1930, the interior of this 80-year old shop has hardly changed for decades. The main attraction is the original wooden counter, selves and an old cash register. The retro packaging is also loved by tourists and locals alike, thus making canned fish a popular souvenir to bring home.

 

If you want to find out more about canned fish and its history, then you must pay a visit to Loja das Conservas (Rua do Arsenal, 130)/ National Association of Manufacturers of Canned Fish. Here, you can find a wide range of well-known Portuguese canned fish brands and the history of these canning factories. And aside from the famous sardine, you can also find tuna, eel, Ray’s bream, mackerel and horse mackerel. If you are stuck on what to pick, you can always ask for recommendations (which I did) from the shop assistants. Don’t underestimate the allure of canned fish, and make sure you have enough baggage allowance because you may end up buying more than you intended after a visit to this shop!

Last but not least, don’t forget to bring back a bottle of Portuguese wine or port back home! Portuguese wine must be one of the most underrated in the world! Personally, I love Portuguese wine and I am surprised by the limited choices available in the UK. Wine is relatively cheap to buy and drink in Portugal, and one of the best places to taste and buy Portuguese wine is at Viniportugal at Terreiro do Paço. Visitors can purchase a rechargable Enocard for the price of € 2, which will give access to tasting 2 to 4 wines from a selection of 12 wines from different regions of the country. It is a good starting point if you want to learn more about Portuguese wine.

 

Lisbon’s Brutalist architecture

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

 

In recent years, Brutalist architecture has made an unexpected comeback. Eyesore or masterpieces? It is all relatively subjective. In Lisbon, there are some fine examples that are worth exploring if you are interested in this type of architecture:

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – The foundation is a vast complex that houses Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, which was constructed in 1969 by Alberto Pessoa, Pedro Cid and Ruy Athouguia. The austere horizontal concrete structure contains a world-class art museum, auditoriums, offices and a library which sits above an underground world of conservation, study and storage.

 

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I think the highlight of this complex is its serene modern park designed by landscape architect Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles. The contrast between the cold concrete structure and the beautiful landscape is what makes this place intriguing. The complex would look rather depressing without the lawn, bamboo forests, exotic plants, ponds and hidden streams; and it demonstrates how nature and landscape can alter our environment dramatically.

 

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The later addition to the complex is Centro de Arte Moderna in 1983, which was designed by British architect, Sir Leslie Martin (famous for London’s Royal Festival Hall). This outstanding multifunctional space is bright and airy with floor to ceiling windows that overlook the tranquil pond outside. You can also see the interior of the building from my previous post entry here.

 

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Palácio da Justiça

 

I was walking through Edward VII Park one day and I suddenly noticed a conspicuous concrete structure from afar. Moments later I was standing underneath it and feeling quite ‘insignificant’.

This massive and imposing modernist architecture is the Palácio da Justiça or Palace of Justice (Rua Marquês da Fronteira 1098 – 001), constructed between 1966-1969 and designed by Januário Godinho and João Andresen. The architects adopted a highly original conceptual language, and they combined it with new materials employed in its construction. Personally, I think the beauty of this structure lies in its subtle details, i.e. the repetitive patterns of squares, rectangles and circles used throughout exterior, as well as on the ground (large overlapping circles).

 

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Liberty Seguros Building 

 

Another of my accidental discovery was the Liberty Seguros Building (Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo, 6), designed by António Gomez Egêa and Ionel Schein from 1966-70.

This 14-storey office building (formerly the Edíficio Winterthur) has a rather unique zig-zag facade, in which all the windows are angled downwards, thereby creating a serrated surface. I am particularly curious in regards to the amount of sunlight that penetrates into the building. I would love to see the interior of this building, and enjoy the spectacular view of the city from its rooftop.

 

 

Portuguese crafts and designs

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Magetica magazine gallery at Cidadela art district, showcasing knitted creations by Urostigre; Bottom right: Gosto D’Africa

 

One of the (many) reasons why I love Portugal is that it is immensely artistic. Art can be seen everywhere, from street art to azulejos in churches; and the Portuguese particularly excel in handicrafts, which has been passed down from its tradition. Designing and making things appear to be an innate trait of the Portuguese, and during my travel, I came across many beautiful locally-made crafts and designs that combine natural materials, traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary touch (or humour).

In Cascais, I stumbled upon a New year arts and crafts market on its last day near the seafront, and I had an interesting chat with the father and daughter team selling a colourful range of jewellery and fashion accessories inspired by African prints, motifs and patterns. I later learned that the designer behind the Lisbon-based Gosto D’Africa is in fact the wife of the vendor. After rummaging around the stall for a while, I eventually bought a scarf with African print on one side and fleece on the other for €14. A bargain for a handmade and unique item!

And while I was at Cidadela art district, I was enchanted by the knitted animal heads/hats display in one of the galleries/shops, Magetica magazine. Urostigre was founded by Lisbon-based artist and knitter Sónia Pessoa, who created an animal that is half bear (urso) and half tiger (tigre). She uses eco-friendly yarn for her fashion and accessory creations, which often features this imaginative ‘bear tiger’ animal. You can view her one of a kind creations above or via her website.

 

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Top left, 2nd & 3rd rows: Gente Da Minha Terra

 

In Evora, most of the handicrafts shops are concentrated on Rua 5 de Outubro before the Cathedral. There are souvenir shops selling fashion and home accessories made of local cork ( Portugal is well known for their cork designs), local wine and azulejos etc. One shop in particular stands out from the crowd, and it is Gente Da Minha Terra (no.39). Although the shop is not very big, it has a fantastic range of locally made contemporary crafts and design objects including stationery, woolen blankets, and even donkey milk soap wrapped in sheep’s wool (see above)!

 

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Top & 2nd rows: Associação Sócio Cultural Terapêutica de Évora; 3rd left: products made of cork; 3rd right: handmade pouch & phone cover

 

Another shop that caught my attention was A Mo on Rua Vasco da Gama 2. The shop itself resembles a kitchen, and so I was curious to find out what was inside when I walked past it.

Once inside, I was surrounded by wooden toys, kids’ furniture and all sorts of cute and lovely handicrafts. I spoke to the lady in the shop and she explained to me that the shop is part of Associação Sócio Cultural Terapêutica de Évora, a private institution for Social Solidarity and it provides therapeutic activities for people with mental disability. The arts and crafts are made by the community in the institute’s studios. And as a small gesture of supporting good cause, I eventually bought two handmade accessories as souvenir to give to my friends back home.

 

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 Traditional ceramics, tiles and textiles

 

Back in Lisbon, the newest and coolest crafts and designs shopping destination is Embaixada (which I will write more about in my future entry) in Principe Real. Here, you can find a wide range of contemporary crafts that are inspired by the traditional heritage and culture (including ceramic pasteis de nata for those who adores it). Further down the street, there is also Lisbonlovers, which sells crafts and designs that are inspired by the charming city.

 
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Top & 4th rows: Embaixada; 3rd row: Lisbonlovers