The story behind the Teachers' Gift Box, and why we started the Signature Collection with Filipa
Every new collection starts somewhere.
We started ours with a question we kept coming back to: who deserves to be gifted well, and almost never is?
We thought about the people who show up every year, in front of rooms full of people who don't always make it easy. Who answer the same question for the fifth time with the same patience. Who correct papers late into the night, prepare lessons that most students won't fully appreciate until years later, and then say goodbye at the end of June, only to start again in September.
Teachers. Professors. The people who give something that simply can't be measured.
What is the Signature Collection?
The Signature Collection is our most curated offering.
Each box is born from a collaboration between The Local Story and a creator whose work we deeply believe in. An illustrator, a designer, a musician, an athlete... Someone whose story deserves to be told, and who puts a piece of themselves, literally, into every box.
We sit down together, build the concept, choose the products, write the story. Everything inside is chosen with purpose. And somewhere in every box, there's something they actually made. A postcard. A bookmark. An illustration. Something that carries their hand and their name.
Each box has their signature on it. Literally.
We think that the best gifts aren't assembled, they're designed. They start with a person, a moment, and a feeling. Everything else follows.
Why Filipa?
The first edition of the Signature Collection is by Filipa Resende, who is an illustrator whose work brings warmth to everything she touches.
Her mother is a teacher. That's why it felt like the right place to start.
We came to Filipa with an idea and a feeling. She understood immediately. She knew the person we were designing for, the tone we were looking for, and the kind of beauty that belonged inside. The illustrated postcards and bookmarks in this collection are entirely hers, designed from scratch, for this moment, for these people.
You can find her work at @filiparesende.ilustracao on Instagram.
What's inside... and why
We don't add things to a box because they fill space. Every item was chosen for a reason. Each one is a small nod to a specific moment in the school year to a teacher.
☕ Artisan Specialty Coffee. Because we know you needed one every single morning. And every afternoon. And probably before every exam correction. Thank you for always showing up... caffeinated and kind.
🫙 Porto Aged Drip Coffee. To enjoy wherever you are, even poolside. Made with specialty coffee aged in Port wine barrels, because we thought you deserved something with a little more story to it. Not that we expect it to be the strongest thing you'll find this summer... but you never know.
🕯️ Alegria Aromatic Candle. A little peace, a little quiet, and a scent that has absolutely nothing to do with a classroom in June. You definitely earned that peaceful moment.
🫧 Artisan Soap. To wash away the whiteboard marker, the end-of-term exhaustion, and the memory of that one question you answered for the fifth time with the same smile. This is to a fresh start.
🍓 Artisan Jam. To sweeten the end of the year, and the goodbye that comes with it. We hope it tastes a little like the satisfaction of watching us finally get it.
🍪 Artisan Caramel Cookies. Delicate, a little buttery, and impossible to eat just one, much like your patience with us this year. We're not sure how you did it. But we brought cookies.
📬 Illustrated Postcards. Some things are better said on paper. Consider these our attempt to say in a sentence what a whole year couldn't quite capture.
📖 Bookmarks. For all the books you'll finally get to read now that you're not reading our papers. Save your place — the pause is more than deserved.
The card inside
Every box includes a gift card written specifically for this collection, connecting each item to a moment in the year. Warm, a little funny, and honest in a way that only works because it was written by the students who actually lived it.
We spent time on these words. Because a box full of beautiful things with a generic card is still a missed opportunity. The card is part of the gift.
Shop the Teachers' Box
There are three versions of the Teachers' Box, at different price points. This way you can choose what feels right.
All three are available now at thelocalstory.com/collections/signature-collection.
Free shipping across Portugal. Ships to EU & UK in 3–5 days.
And if you know a creator, such as a designer, a musician, an athlete, anyone whose story you'd love to see told in a box, share with us. With this collection we are just getting started.