A Vida Portuguesa é, para a revista Monocle, um exemplo de "como promover a venda a retalho e gerir uma loja". Num número inspirador, à procura de oportunidades globais, com direito a chamada de capa e tudo.
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Do it yourself. Global.
Preface. Monocle meets five creative businesses and entrepreneurs who have gone their own way, and we ask them how, and why, they did it.
What ties the following five stories together is that at the heart of each of them are entrepreneurs who went against the tide of conformity and followed their instict to stick their necks out and try something different. At a time when risk-taking is not the normal modus operandum, the examples that follow show that stiking out to realise an ambition pays off. (...) They aren't tales of following spreadsheets or making decidions by committee, but rather common sense, skill, hard work and responding to human behaviour. And there are lessons to be learnt from all of them by all of us."
How to... promote physical retail
A Portuguese stand-out
"A Vida Portuguesa was launched by former journalist Catarina Portas (top left, centre of picture) in 2007. With stores in Lisbon and Porto, it champions classic Made in Portugal products such as sardines, soaps and shoebrushes.
Monocle: Why did you start the business?
Catarina Portas: I started A Vida Portuguesa with €1,000, some small-business advice from a friend and some bartering skills. I wanted to counter what was going on in Portugal; a kind of retail that saw 20 years of malls and hypermarkets. I loved these old products and didn't want them to disappear, but I also thought that the country needed a little bit of self-esteem, to appreciate its own products.
M: What sets your shop apart from others that sell classic Portuguese brands?
CP: We are more careful about presentation and we don't have just any old tinner sardines - we have tinned sardines done in a certain way, in a certain place. We know exactly what we are selling.
M: Who are your customers?
CP: Everyone from old ladies who can find their Alantoíne handcream here because all the small shops in their neighbourhoods have closed down to fine-arts students who like the atmosphere and buy Serrote notebooks."
How to...
Top Three Tips
01. Find the right side
Too many beautiful buildings in portugal have been taken over by chain stores. Portas waited one year to find the right site for her Lisbon store.
02. Do your research
A Vida Portuguesa staff knows each brand inside out - who makes it, where it comes from, why it's important.
03. Make them feel special
The idea of A Vida Portuguesa is that it's a secret place of discovery, and shops that specialise and stay authentic end up getting wider attention."
Monocle, Fevereiro 2013.
Texto de Syma Tariq.
Fotos de Pedro Guimarães.
