In a corner of Avenida Arantes with Oliveira one may find, in the midst of wool and lines, the warmth of the art of creation. Upon entering O Cantinho das Linhas, we are greeted by the owner, Mrs. Isabel Maria Resende Bastos, with a smile on her face and a greeting as smooth as the skeins she sells.

Her professional history began when she was 13 years old when she started working at her mother’s grocery store. Although she enjoyed dealing with the public, that kind of business did not interest her, so she asked her mother to take a course organized by Singer. With this, the grocery store began to serve as an exhibition to her creations. Her friends ordered her clothes, especially at party time, and later she started knitting.

In 2010, the crisis made it difficult for her business and, after careful observation, she decided to move to São João da Madeira, on Arantes and Oliveira Avenue, to set up the Nº989, the O Cantinho das Linhas, where her services were most requested. Here, he continued to improve his art and even developed work for ESAD (fashion school of Porto) for the collections of Miguel Vieira and Hugo Costa.

O Cantinho das Linhas is an establishment dedicated to clothing: from simple arrangements and finishing, to the acquisition of the much needed raw material with anti-allergenic care, to the beautiful unique pieces made by hand.

Stopping a bit to reflect on the contemporary apparel industry, Isabel laments the blatant loss of quality, even in reputable brands. Tops, stitches, and sometimes whole sections have glaring flaws that reveal a careless confection without any attention to the most basic sewing rules.

This is, however, not surprising, given the dictates of rapid production and consumption in our society, where quality is typically sacrificed for quantity. By virtue of these, and other circumstances, Elizabeth assumes a role of looking at her art as genuine and something precious to preserve. Her clients tend to agree, not only for the quality of Isabel’s work, but also for her friendliness of service and complete willingness to give advice and ask questions – an extra to the workshops she organizes in space. Her daughter has, moreover, already won her mother’s taste for clothing, albeit in slightly different ways.

Together they idealized the O Cantinho das Linhas logo, referring to the demure facet of the place, as well as the raw material of this store, which has already assumed various identities, namely an accounting office, a hairdresser, a tobacconist and a glass shop. In the O Cantinho das Linhas you choose the lines, hotter or fresher depending on the season, but one thing is certain, whether winter or summer, passing through this house will always have a starting point for the art of creation.