Portuguese shopkeeper Flora is celebrating nearly ten years since opening Comptoir Saudade, a Portuguese café and grocery store in Paris. The establishment brings traditional Portuguese food, wine, and music to the French capital.
Flora moved to Paris with her parents to build a life that Portugal could not offer them at the time. Adjusting to France was challenging because she arrived without a social support network and before Portugal joined the European Union.
She recalled that entering France prior to EU integration involved heavy administrative hurdles, including mandatory authorization documents right from the start. Flora noted that current European Union regulations have significantly reduced bureaucratic obstacles compared to her early years in Paris.
Portugal officially joined the European Economic Community in 1986. That historic accession introduced freedom of movement for workers and business owners, eliminating the strict visa requirements and residency permits previously imposed on Portuguese migrants in France.
Lisbon Traditions in the Heart of Paris
Inside Comptoir Saudade, customers are greeted by the sounds of fado music, including songs by prominent singer Mariza. Flora explained that the store was designed to recreate the traditional counters of old Lisbon grocery stores that historically sold salt cod, flour, and sugar.
Fado is a traditional Portuguese music genre known for its expressive and mournful melodies. Mariza is recognized worldwide as one of the genre's leading modern performers, helping popularize Portuguese culture across Europe.
Flora named the business by combining the French word for counter, comptoir, with saudade, a Portuguese term she described as wonderful. Saudade is a renowned concept in Portuguese culture that expresses a deep emotional longing for an absent person, place, or memory.
Pastel de Nata and Small Business Demands
The shop sells a variety of Portuguese goods, including cakes, olive oil, red wine, green wine known as vinho verde, Port wine, and dried salt cod, known locally as bacalhau. Aside from salt cod, Flora said the store's top selling item is the pastel de nata.
Pastéis de nata are iconic Portuguese egg custard tarts created before the 19th century by Catholic monks in Lisbon. Flora laughed as she noted that French customers have fallen in love with the pastries, describing them as akin to a relic from the era of kings.
Flora added that Port wine sales increase significantly during holiday periods, with customers buying bottles upon bottles. Port is a fortified wine produced exclusively in Portugal's Douro Valley, traditionally served during celebrations.
Appeal for European Tax Relief
During a feature by the television program Europa Viva, Flora issued a direct plea to European leaders to focus more attention on small merchants. She stated that small business owners need state support and lower taxes to remain viable.
Comparing economic conditions, Flora observed that taxes in Portugal appear even higher than in France. However, she emphasized that the cost of living in France has also become very high for small shopkeepers.
