Slow retail

"Lisbon, Portugal: a shrine to the old-school and the handcrafted. It's the absolute opposite of cheaper, faster, ship-it-to-your-door retail. Catarina Portas, who opened Lisbon's A Vida Portuguesa shop in 2007, has curated more than 1000 products made by Portuguese manufacturers who've deliberately resisted globalization. In many cases, she had to hunt down brands that were near extinction.

Here, in a converted soap factory in the stroll-worthy Chiado neighborhood, explore display after display of unique items—from tea and toothpaste to bolts of fabric and tambourines—that are handmade, Portuguese-crafted or have been around forever. (Lovers of retro packaging, in particular, will plotz.)

It's like a museum combined with the most gorgeous general store you've ever seen. And it celebrates something that DIYers, small-batch producers and locavores work to champion every day: Slow retail." Wish You Were Here. Inspiring travel, one place at a time.