Gelásio Lei arrived in Espinho at 14 to live with childless aunts and uncles who insisted with his father to let him come. He began working with them at the markets, namely in Espinho, arriving on a Monday and going to sell at the location where the Courthouse building now stands.
The market began at that location and grew, with the family eventually having four stalls. From then on, Gelásio Lei's life was entirely dedicated to the market trader work, doing markets in Espinho, Carvalhos, Estarreja and Murtosa.
Only in 2012 did he leave the other markets, keeping only the one in Espinho, arguing that the work was too heavy for him and his wife. He left home at five in the morning and spent almost a month saying he would soon leave the market, until on a Sunday he told his wife he was not going to set up the stall.
With 70 years of career as a market trader, Gelásio Lei confesses that he currently does not like passing through the places where he used to sell, revealing the strong emotional attachment he developed over decades dedicated to this work at the markets in the region.
