Shortly before they married, the couple opened the "Zicartola" bar and restaurant on Rua da Carioca, in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. This quickly became a meeting point for Rio's working class samba performers, as well as middle-class Bossa nova musicians such as Vinicius de Moraes. Cartola was in charge of the music and provided a space for older samba musicians such as Nelson Cavaquinho, Ismael Silva, Paulinho da Viola and to perform, while also encouraging the new generation. Zicartola also became a centre of cultural resistance after the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. Dona Zica was a skilled cook but despite its popularity the couple's lack of management skills meant the bar and restaurant made little profit and they closed it down in 1965.