One of the particularly enjoyable duties/joys I have in my life, since launching Dearsouvenir magazine, is to scout for great souvenirs and souvenir shops wherever I go: Makers of traditional goods, local designers, haberdashers and the like.
Before they even make it to the magazine, here’s a few early finds after a day of roaming the streets of Lisbon:
Baixa/Chiado
The beauty of A Vida Portuguesa (link, map), a shop selling traditional local goods. An absolute must-see, and one of the most gorgeous & lovely stores I’ve ever set foot in. By the time I left I had (happily!) bought olive oil with piri piri (hot peppers), hand made notepads in bright yellow, tooth paste and hand cream, two types of conservas de peixe (canned fish). Admittedly, the latter mostly for the packaging, which is gorgeous (sorry, fish!).
First haul of Portugal souvenirs. Success!
Portugal is huge on wool. Burel Factory (link, Rua Serpa Pinto, 15Bmap) makes contemporary designs out of wool. It’s all very high quality, great to the touch, just a pure joy. In terms of products pick up anything from scarves and blankets, from toys to boots, from jackets to baseball hats. Yes, all from wool.
Principe Real
The Entretanto indoor market (map) is the home to Stro (link), a young Portuguese fashion and design brand. Go here for a playful, fresh take on traditional Portuguese design.
You’ll also find many of these and some more pointers in this Dearsouvenir Jauntful map for Lisbon.
This post is going to be extended over the next couple of weeks.
