cool shops :: a vida portuguesa

hello again! did you think that first post was all for today? no way! first, let me thank you all that read and left comments on that post! it makes me smile and feel so cherished by all of you! it feels so good! and second i came back for something that i had actually covered before, but it was back in time where i only had a small point-and-shoot camera, so this time i could do a lot better, so i came back to this store! for those who don’t know, this is one of the most well-known vintage stores in lisbon. and why? it was actually the first one that opened with all the products that were produced and sold in portugal since the late 60’s i believe. it’s that kind of store (as i said before) that if you take your grandma and your mom with you, each one will feel related to something, will smile at something, and will most definitely remember of something from their younger years. this is why it’s called “a vida portuguesa“, which means “the portuguese life”. because this is us through the years, our culture, our habits, our things, our memories, our life.

i really love this shop, and every time i go there, i feel like i’m in a different era. i like to go slowly as i go through each one of the products, touching them, reading, smiling and remembering. everything you find here somehow pushes you to a more handmade life and also a very traditional one. a life where women cook and bake, where soaps are handmade in oporto, covered in amazing patterned paper and smell like flowers during spring time, jams jars have beautiful ribbons, and you can find baking tins in the shape of hearts, huge hearts.

these beautiful packages is actually canned food, but i say simple, because it’s nothing too fancy, but the package is indeed amazing. and though i never tasted these brands, we are popular for these. you can also find the three major labels selling here, which is actually another place i want to bring to this lisbon’s city guide!

after going through the shelf all i could think of was cookies and cakes, and even puddings. by the way, those small notebooks inside the heart shaped baking tins, say “recipes of love“, how sweet are those? and also those big posters hanging on the wall, so that you know, in case you don’t speak the language, the first one asks “who cooks dinner today?” and the second “who does the dishes?“… i don’t have words for these posters! absolutely fabulous!

and then the delightful scented handmade soaps… it’s so hard not to bring one! but i must say that as they are a bit pricey, i didn’t bring any with me! but the visit is all worth anyway! and they are even kind enough to let anyone take all the photos we want and that for me, as you may know, means extra points for the place! so, if you’re not from here and you’re visiting i totally recommend a visit to this shop! and if you are portuguese, they have small packages with products that are perfect for gifts! we gave a small basket to my mother-in-law two years ago and she was delighted as she could be, picking hand creams and other products she had when she was 18!

you can find more about a vida portuguesa on their website and facebook!

ps. the sale is ending on the shops! enter code “easterfs” for free shipping! ends tomorrow don’t let it go away!

a vida portuguesa
rua anchieta, 11
1200 lisbon 

* Lisbon’s Travel Guide

Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest