History and tradition, 40 years of Barbosa Ourivesaria (Video and photos)

A story that began with the dream of a 12-year-old boy, who fell in love with the art of goldsmithing. From love to a successful family business that reaches its 40th anniversary, and from a partnership full of complicity between father and son, which passes from generation to generation, to the success of one of the most traditional businesses in Póvoa de Varzim.

The youngest son of a family of nine brothers, Fernando Barbosa knew from a young age what profession he wanted to pursue. Inspired by his brother, José Guimarães Barbosa, eleven years older, he discovered the art of goldsmithing. The boy who, upon completing fourth grade, had his father at his side saying that he would, like him, work as a plumber, gets emotional when he tells how it all started. “Father, I think I want something better for myself, I want to go to the side of my brother, José, and like him to be a goldsmith”. At the time, his brother worked with Pedro José Vilaça, who, as soon as he found out about Fernando’s interest in goldsmithing, invited him to work in the largest workshop in Póvoa de Varzim. The gift and taste for gold crafts grew, as did his learning, at the age of 20, when he joined the Army, Fernando Barbosa was already an artist. When he returned in 1968, he resumed his work as a goldsmith, year after year he began to enjoy it more and more and the certainty that a beautiful life path was beginning there. Encouraged by his father-in-law, João Gomes Ferreira, at the time one of the biggest contractors in Póvoa and a man of great vision, who offered him a store to open his own business. Then, on July 1, 1984, Barbosa Ourivesaria was born.

A few years later, with the goldsmith’s doors already open, Fernando began to realize his son João’s potential. “His mother wanted him to be a doctor, I insisted and did like my father and called him to work with me very early, at 16 years he was already at the counter. I sacrificed many Saturdays, but I always had a good heart and knew how to reward myself. Me with the public, it was never my strong point, it was always working in the workshop, but he was born for that, he is smart, a marketer, public relations and, therefore, we complement each other, me in the workshop and he at the counter with the skill that has to win people over.”

When remembering his journey, together with his father, João Barbosa thanks and recognizes his father’s efforts. “Never in my life will I be able to forget my father’s efforts in the beginning, since I started to be more involved in the business and where for twenty-six years my father and I were not just business partners, not just father and son, but rather two accomplices. However, about eleven years ago, my father stopped being with me on active duty, and my wife came to provide continuity. Today, Isabel is a cornerstone in being here with us. Generations exist and each one has its merit. Today, I’m here, more up to date in the sense of commerce, but I can never forget that, in these 40 years, there was a very strong effort here by my father at the workshop level that complemented the goldsmithing in the sense of commerce. Now there is continuity and I hope the future is bright. Always with humility, responsibility and obviously honesty, which is fundamental in a field like this. Because in addition to selling value, we are also selling love, which is a very important thing. When people come to the jewelry store to buy anything, from an engagement ring to a baby bracelet, they are buying love.”

Longevity and many projects for the future, mirroring many successful companies in Póvoa, João Barbosa says that for everything you need persistence. “Everything today needs to be done with love for what we do and a lot of persistence, there are companies that really have a long-term success, and I hope that ours also has a long-term success, we are halfway there, it is already a historic milestone in my opinion. These forty years of activity have also led us to gain an increasingly important clientele, I will increasingly give more care, more attention to the customer who comes here. Therefore, to my goldsmith’s clientele, first of all thank you very much, I have the best customers in the world and I will increasingly protect them and give them more attention. Because they are people who come here to buy love”, concludes João Barbosa.