Sapataria do Carmo

"I need to buy new shoes! In spite of a world where nowadays every street is full of huge chain stores, we can still find treasures like this tiny shop. In the romantic Largo do Carmo, this charming shop is decorated in '50s style with red velvet sofas and classical stacked boxes. It sells exclusive and unique handmade shoes. The great quality of shoes made in Portugal is well known abroad. (The singer Rihanna designs shoes that are manufactured in the north of the country; Shakira wears Portuguese shoes; and, if you are fond of royalty, did you know that Princess Kate wore Portuguese shoes at her wedding?) Women can find heeled shoes or Oxford shoes (also known as men’s shoes). Men can find timeless classics. Everything sold is unique, trendy, and bold. After belonging to the same family for three generations, in February 2012 the shop was sold. But luckily, it was sold to another family!"

"Run by the same family for three generations, Sapataria do Carmo changed hands in 2012. Luckily the small, circa-1904 shoe shop remains just as elegantly nostalgic, from the iron letters on the façade to the fanciful, tidy display of numbered boxes to the red velvet sofas that bring a sense of grandeur to the banal task of trying on pairs for size. Quality, handmade shoes for men and women are now available at the original Chiado location as well as three other offshoots." - Alia Akkam