For the Christmas season, we share two local stores where you canbuy Christmas gifts and, at the same time, support traditional commerce and female entrepreneurship. We start at “Simplifica Atelier”, number 7 on “Rua Ferreira Borges”, where the enthusiast Carla produces and sells artisanal cosmetics among other sustainable products created by herself. Within the cosmetic products, made with natural ingredients, you can choose from soaps, body lotions, solid shampoos and bath salts. The traditional hand-painted tile-shaped soaps are a big success. If you want to take a little bit of Coimbra with you, the pack of soaps (lavender, coconut and rosemary) featuring the city’s monuments and its history is the perfect option. And, as here the concept is “old becomes new” and sustainability is a current concern, the “imperfect dolls”, beautiful decorative dolls made from demijohns and glass bottles, stand out.
We head to number 47 on “Rua Adelino Veiga” and arrived at “Eco Merceria 47”, a project by the friendly Alexandra. Over the last few years, Alexandra has invested in a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle because she believes that “you need to take a step back to evolve”. At “Eco Mercearia” she shares many of the products you use in your daily life, such as natural cosmetics, which include not only selections of face cream, shampoos, shower gels, soaps, deodorants but also organic makeup and hygiene products like natural, sustainable and vegan oral treatments. Because food cannot be missing from a grocery store, Alexandra offers healthier options such as granola, Belgian biscuits of different flavors, vegetarian pasta, tea flowers and also typical Portuguese products such as canned sardines, Algarve’s roasted almonds with dried figs and wine from Porto. Water bottles made from recycled plastic, socks, wallets, bamboo sponges and dish towels, decorative nutcracker candles are just a few more examples of utilitarian and sustainable objects that you can find at “Eco Merceria 47”.
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