Русский
Vitalia
Vitalia Karelina crafts small, beautiful items and large vitrage pictures from coloured glass. She holds a Ukrainian passport, has Ukrainian and Russian heritage, and was born in Uzbekistan. Vitalia previously worked in real estate and the hotel-restaurant industry in Kyiv and Moscow. Her journey into the world of stained glass began with a desire to create beauty and find happiness in the process.
She arrived in Portugal in the spring of 2022. With the help of friends, she eventually discovered a source for coloured glass, despite facing some difficulties. She sells her stained-glass pictures and toys online, mainly to customers in the USA. However, her past connections to Moscow eventually became a burden, leading to complications in late 2024. As a result of anti-Russian sanctions, Etsy abruptly closed down Vitalia’s shop, which featured 4,500 unique products and had been operating successfully for 9 years, generating up to 10,000 euros a month at its peak. Etsy took commissions from her sales, with the remaining income used for purchasing materials and providing a comfortable living.
Vitalia opened a new shop on the same platform; however, the first two months yielded only 14 sales, with an account balance of 1,000 euros. The platform’s policy for new sellers—where earnings are held for three months—has made it challenging to maintain her business.
Vitalia feels that Portugal does not have the customer base she is accustomed to. The local market does not favour stained glass doors like in Ukraine and Russia, nor does it showcase stained glass figures catching the light in windows, as seen in America. Two exhibitions, held in Porto and Aveiro, proved to be festive with numerous congratulations and applause, but no sales resulted, perhaps partly due to Vitalia’s limited Portuguese language skills at the time, hence a limited ability to negotiate.
When asked about her aspirations, Vitalia has a list of ideas. She would love to participate in the restoration of a church and create a stained-glass piece depicting a moment from Portuguese history for a town hall, university, club, or concert hall. She is interested in holding masterclasses to teach both adults and children the art of crafting stained glass pieces by hand. She would enjoy creating unique logos and gifts. She would welcome the opportunity to create unique logos and gifts for clients who are interested in commissioning the work. Contacts: Telegram channel Facebook.
Nikolay
Nikolay Shelkovenko designs and manufactures Balanset devices, which focus on balancing and vibration reduction for various industrial equipment.
Balancing is essential for any rotating machinery that may experience vibrations, such as quadcopter propellers, motorboat and fan blades, rotors of machine tools, turbines, electric motors, and centrifuges.
he primary buyers of Balanset are small enterprises, farms, and repair shops seeking effective yet affordable solutions for maintaining their equipment. Balanset empowers users to execute the balancing process independently, eliminating the need for costly technical specialists. Nikolay offers a warranty on the device and provides training in its use, as well as ongoing support after purchase.
Nikolay Shelkovenko’s workshop has been operating in Porto since 2023 and previously ran successfully in Estonia for six years. When relocating to Portugal, Porto was specifically chosen due to the numerous industrial facilities in the northern region, ensuring ample opportunities for addressing vibration-related issues. “Balanset” for everyone! The device offers remarkable reliability, and durability due to its aluminum housing and advanced technology.
The competitive advantage of Balanset stems from Nikolay’s extensive experience and expertise: a decade of testing, refining, and selling these devices, combined with his background as a software engineer, as well as the influence of his father’s engineering experience. (Andrei, his father, graduated from LETI, now Saint-Petersburg Electrotechnical University, has worked on automatic control systems for many years.)
Customer reviews of the device can be found at: ebay, Instagram, YouTube. Here is the company website: Vibromera.
If you purchase a Balanset not only for your own needs but also to offer balancing services to other businesses, Nikolay will provide comprehensive support. In addition to guidance and training, you will have the opportunity to promote your services through his website.
The immediate objective is to establish a network of balancing service providers, continue selling the device in Portugal and internationally, and make balancing services more accessible to a broader range of customers.
Vinte Quinta
Vinte Quinta (“vinte” means “twenty” in Portuguese, “quinta” is “farm” or “estate”) is an eco-farm and hotel founded by Ella Illarionova and Sergey Smotrov in 2020. Located in an old estate near Ponto de Lima, I had the pleasure of spending three delightful days there after meeting the founders at a Christmas fair in Porto.
To describe the beauty of the landscape, the peaceful silence and fresh air, I will quote José Saramago’s “Journey to Portugal”.
…the air feels as if it has passed through a sieve so fine that, to judge from its clarity, it could catch even ashes; so pure that it shocks the lungs.
…mist with a strange capacity to engender brighter colours in the vegetation, contrary to what one should and would expect.
…The mist had now lifted, only a few ragged strands remaining on the mountain-tops, while the valley is an immense green meadow, with trees criscrossing and marking it in all directions: black, gold, tawny, amid a profound silence: complete, rare, anxious, but essential to the solitude, to this unforgettable moment. The traveller departs, he can’t remain there firever, but he swears that, in some way he can’t even explain, he is still sitting at the roadsite, contemplating the trees, gazing at the first door to paradise.
(José Saramago. “Journey to Portugal”. Pinguin Random House, Vintage Classics, p.17, 36, 34)
The history of the area is palpable in the old stone fences, cobblestone roads, the outline of the local church, and the ancient coat of arms on the gate. Modern appliances quietly maintained the perfect climate inside my cottage, while the fruits and vegetables, and pies and cakes from Franciska made me think of my childhood, our garden with apple trees, raspberries, and roses, my grandmum’s pasties and mum’s cakes.
The farm produces wine, olive oil, jams, pickles, and sells vegetables and eggs. Vinte Quinta offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life, providing access to nearby hiking trails, comfortable and beautiful cottages for couples, families, and those seeking escape, and a large playground for kids. Guests enjoy a delicious and healthy breakfast, with every detail saying “beauty” and “home” to you: the food, plates, cups, and cutlery.
It is a long story to tell. The redevelopment of the estate and its surroundings undertaked by Ella and architect Svetlana Snegyreva is driven by the quest for solutions that harmonize with Portugal’s unique character.
Here’s just one episode: the creation of the tile panel that adorns the entire wall of the reception area.
Tiles, or azulejos, are an iconic symbol of Portugal. Their blue and white color scheme echoes that of Chinese porcelain, Dutch genre paintings, and Turkish patterned tiles, yet the subjects depicted on Portuguese tiles are distinct. The stories told by Portuguese tile can range from epic and lyrical to heroic and comical; or they can be just practical.
In a monastery, one tiled wall may recount tales of saints and their deeds, while another might portray the dog and hapless donkey from La Fontaine’s fable.
Under Portugal’s warm and gentle sun, amidst its sweet wine, perhaps many creators approach their tasks with ease and joy.
The panel in the reception area of Vinte Quinta depicts the gathering of olives for oil pressing, a communal activity involving owners and farm staff alike. In the foreground, three children keep company to the harvesters—one still in a cradle. The landscape, with its recognisable slopes and mountains, mirrors the actual surroundings. As you step outside of the reception, you’ll find yourself immersed in the very scene portrayed on the tiles. The children, now older, are easily recognisable as Ella’s grandchildren. The painting captures a moment in the family’s history, preserving it for generations to come: “Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave//Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare.”*
Before the grandchildren assume management of Vinte Quinta, there is much to be accomplished: expanding the hotel to welcome more guests while preserving its unique blend of lightness, cheerfulness, and solemn silence; establishing a permanent restaurant; sharing the farm’s wine, organic jams, lechos, and chutneys with the rest of Portugal. Perhaps Ella and Sergei will even document the history of this remarkable property, which once offered shelter to pilgrims en route to the relics of St. James in Santiago de Compostela.
*Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats.
Featured photo: G.Ridderström, Unsplash
