Tabacaria Martins

The Shop

Manoel Francisco Nunes Martins opened this tobacconist’s shop in 1916, though it also sold other products, as indeed one can read on stone plaques on the building’s façade. “National and foreign tobaccos – beers – waters” and “stationery, official stamped paper, stamps and official letters – lotteries and newspapers”. Another metal sign reads: “duty stamps sold and postal and telegraph stamps”. The shop later came to specialise in tobacco products and newspapers and magazines, products one still finds there today. But under the management of current owner, Ana Martins, the product assortment was expanded to include, once more, stationery, including the best-selling Moleskine notebooks. In recent years, picture postcards and other articles for tourists have also been added – a sign of the times. Behind the shop counter there is a cabinet built in to the wall that houses lots of little drawers bearing labels with a name on them (some of them as simple as “Sr. Mário”) or another description (“Lotarias do Velho”). The latter drawer was where lottery tickets reserved for regular customers were kept.

The wooden panelling that covers the walls is original. One may see it referred to elsewhere as boiserie, especially by those with a dislike for more down-to-earth terms such as “panelling” or “cladding”. It was an idea of the current owner’s grandfather, the shop’s founder. What is special about this boiserie (all right, it does sound better!) is that it forms a single piece – joining together the cabinets and the built-in counter and even the shop window. Note the narrow intricately carved frieze at the top.

Today the shop sells loose tobacco, cigarettes and cigarillos, cigars and everything else that has to do with tobacco consumption. It also stocks Portuguese and international press, office material, articles for filing/archiving and printing, as well as school materials, educational games and all forms of lottery tickets.
And it is one of the few places in Lisbon where one can purchase tickets for shows in the neighbouring gallery, ZDB – Zé dos Bois.

Manoel Francisco Nunes Martins opened this tobacconist’s shop in 1916, though it also sold other products, as indeed one can read on stone plaques on the building’s façade. “National and foreign tobaccos – beers – waters” and “stationery, official stamped paper, stamps and official letters – lotteries and newspapers”