Conceição Street, the streets of notions and sewing shops

In the Baixa area there are many streets that go by the name of its crafts. Conceição Street, which was once called the "Street of Notion", was one of them, here there was a concentration of old haberdashery, lace, fabric and sewing shops. Retrosarias, in Portuguese, are the shops of those who sell "retrós" (silk thread or a set of twisted silk threads) and "other sewing articles".

These shops carry a truly Lisbon spirit. However, in Conceição Street, which once buzzed with needles, buttons, and thimbles, there are fewer and fewer of these craft shops. While there used to be around fifteen in the past, today, only four remain.

What explains their disappearance? The effect of frozen rents, the abandonment of the Pombaline downtown, the rise of large commercial surfaces, changes in consumer habits... All of these factors explain a Lisbon tradition that has been in decline. But it is possible to save it. In Lisbon, new haberdashery shops are beginning to emerge, focusing on sustainability and promoting workshops and sewing classes. All in order to keep the tradition alive.