Historic Shops in Porto

Introduction

Porto is a city with a long and strong history of trade and commerce. Its location on the Douro River just some kilometres away from the Atlantic Ocean was acknowledged as perfect for a port by its first inhabitants. There was a busy commercial port here already in the Roman era.

In the Kingdom of Portugal, Porto was a thriving economic centre. Its shipyards contributed greatly to the development of the Portuguese fleet, and, like other Portuguese cities, it enjoyed the fruits of the maritime explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries. The city acquired further wealth from the export of port wine, which increased significantly in the 18th century. It was a major industrial centre in the late modern era.

The architecture of Porto is a testimony of its strong economic focus. Some of its most outstanding buildings are commercial establishments. Among them are shops that sold items like jewellery, textiles, leather, furniture, ceramics, and books. To this we can add historical pharmacies, grocery stores, and cafés. Many of them date back to the first decades of the 20th century and are great examples of the Arte Nova architecture, the Portuguese version of Art Nouveau. Some retain their original function, and some are run by the descendants of their first owners.

Sites

Below I will introduce 18 historic shops in Porto. My list does not include all the shops of historic value in the city, but I dare to consider it representative.

Drogaria Félix & Filho (Farmácia São Domingos, Farmácia Moreno) | Largo de São Domingos 44 | 1804
Armazém de Papel ao Murinho de São Domingos (Papelaria Araujo & Sobrinho) | Largo de São Domingos 55 | 1829
Fábrica de Cerâmica das Devesas | Rua de José Falcão 199 & Rua da Conceição 59-67 | 1901
Fernandes, Mattos & Ca. | Rua das Carmelitas 108-114 & Rua da Galeria de Paris 8-24 | 1906
Livraria Lello & Irmão | Rua das Carmelitas 144 | Francisco Xavier Esteves, 1904-1906
Ourivesaria Reis & Filhos | Rua de Santa Catarina 1 & Rua 31 de Janeiro 247 | 1905-1906
Ourivesaria Cunha (Machado Joalheiro) | Rua 31 de Janeiro 200-202 | Francisco de Oliveira Ferreira, 1914
Casa Vicent | Rua 31 de Janeiro 174 | 1914
Fábrica Monteiro & Filhos (Alcino Silversmith) | Rua de Santos Pousada 76 | António Rodrigues de Carvalho, 1914-1915
Grandes Armazéns Nascimento (Edifício Palladium) | Rua de Santa Catarina 67-73 | José Marques da Silva, 1914-1927
Depósito de Sola e Cabedais Adriano Vieira da Silva Lima & Ca. | Rua do Ateneu Comercial do Porto 45 | 1917
A Pérola do Bolhão | Rua Formosa 279 | 1917
Café Majestic | Rua de Santa Catarina 112 | José Pinto de Oliveira or João Queiroz, 1921-1922; expansion – 1925-1927
Rua de Santa Catarina 250
Ourivesaria Aliança | Rua das Flores 191-221 | Francisco de Oliveira Ferreira, 1925
Farmácia Vitália | Praça da Liberdade 37 | Manuel Marques & Manuel Amoroso Lopes, 1932-1933
Armazéns Cunhas | Praça de Gomes Teixeira 14-22 | Manuel Marques, Manuel Amoroso Lopes & Coelho Freitas, 1933-1936
Livraria Latina | Rua de Santa Catarina 2 | 1942