Standing at the tram stop looking across the haberdashers we suspected that many of them had been there for quite a few years. We were thinking 30 maybe 50 years at the time. We were a quite bit off with our estimate though, I’ve since discovered quite a few of them have been open for over 100 years! So I thought quite appropriate that I share Lisbon’s ‘Haberdashery Street’ as part of Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge today.
Reading the street and telephone directories I think the Portuguese word for haberdashers is retrosaria but I’m not 100% sure as online translators mention camiseiro. If you know, please do leave a comment below. It wasn’t only the Art Deco retrosaria that caught my eye, spotted this stunning shopfront on another street.
Before I go I have one tiny thing to admit to you. Haberdashery Street isn’t actually called that – it is Rua da Conceição so named because of its proximity to the Church of Conception. I should probably also admit there are also other types of shops on this road! However this is the first time I’ve ever come across a row of haberdashers and ‘haberdashery’ is such a great word I simply had to rename the street! If you would like to see an original photographs of one of the shops do follow the link above, it will take you to a great blog of Lisboa with photographs from the 1900’s.