E. E. de Sousa & Silva

The Shop

E. E. de Sousa e Silva was the first stamp-making company in Portugal. It is a shop that can look back on 200 years of being open for business in a part of the city in constant change. The shop assistants are three women from different generations; a client, amazed at the date of opening – 1819! – asks them what their secret is for looking so young and well preserved. They all laugh and answer that beauty tricks and the secret of eternal youth are something they don’t reveal...

Well into the 20th century the shop sold rubbers stamps, seals, insignia and business cards – in printed, lithographic and metal plate forms. In 1989 the company was sold by the founding family but retained its specialisation; it also widened its range to the sale of bags, leather goods and travel articles. In 1991 it was purchased by the current partners. The shop subsequently underwent renovation work and some changes to the interior and facade, nonetheless conserving the lines of the previous design. As Fernanda Igrejas (the manager) puts it: “my best salespeople are my shop windows” – which explains why they always look so good.