MANILA, Philippines—For now, let us look at the bright side of things. Times are hard, but you can be stylish at the least cost. For that, Manila is the place to be.
Downtown Manila used to be the country’s shopping capital, from the early 1900s when Escolta was the prime business address and Avenida (Rizal Avenue) was prime commercial district.
Given the efforts to revive downtown Manila, from Quiapo to Hidalgo and Rizal Avenue, the city has become more pedestrian-friendly. Sure there are bad elements, but even Paris has its pickpockets.
Rizal Avenue/Carriedo/Hidalgo
You can start your shopping at Plaza Lacson. Or stop and smell the flowers literally. The flower vendors in the square sell the reddest roses at cheapest prices. I bought stargazers at Mrs. Ang’s stall for P150 per stem.
Hidalgo Street is a photographer’s heaven. Even supermodel Tweetie De Leon-Gonzales, a budding photographer, scours these shops for photography supplies.
Even ambulant “ukay ukay” stores have sprouted along Hidalgo Street, another sign that times are hard. I snapped up three pairs of brand new underwear meant for K-Mart/WalMart US stores (export overruns) in a stall that sold brand-new items. I paid P100 for three pairs, not bad.
Carriedo is a shopper’s paradise, similar to Divisoria. But one must look hard for good buys.
Thank God SM transformed its very first store into a clearance outlet. One can shop safely in an airconditioned environment for stuff that’s 50-percent cheaper.
Rizal Avenue is enjoying a renaissance in terms of shopping. What used to be glitzy store chains of yesteryears are now big “ukay ukay” stores, with items ranging from Prada to Gucci.
Unlike the Baguio counterparts where the good stuff is separated from the bad ones, in Avenida it is free-for-all—one must patiently seek good buys. An ukay store is for toys and collectibles, from Japanese anime to old favorite Snoopy and Thomas The Train.
National Bookstore has renovated its Avenida store—all six floors in two separate buildings connected by a bridge way. It is a bookworm’s paradise waiting to be rediscovered.
Along Avenida, the newsstands offering local, imported titles give a welcome respite from the rising prices of magazines. Imagine getting the latest Vogue or GQ for P200 (P600 elsewhere)—that’s almost 200-percent savings.
Most of the watch stores from the heydays of Avenida are still there. Selling mostly Seiko and Orient, some carry original and brand-new Tag Heuers, Tissots, Oris, and other premium brands with less hefty price tags.
I was able to buy three vintage Sandoz Swiss automatic watches for less than the market prices. I am happy that friends mistook them for a Rolex. (My research showed that Sandoz was founded in 1870 and most of its designs are similar to Rolex’s.)
For the foodies, there is great news—Manila Opera House is reopening a noodle place at the lobby, a perfect place to cap a whole-day shopping in downtown Manila.
Raon/Sales/Evangelista
Raon is an audiophile’s paradise. Whether a perfect set of speakers or top-of-line car audio system, Raon has it.
You could build home theater from scratch and source the supplies from Raon.
Sales and Evangelista streets are for sports enthusiasts looking for treadmills, badminton or tennis rackets, boxing gloves, basketballs and even basketball electronic scoreboards or trophies.
There are several stores selling eyeglasses and sunglasses. I bought vintage Ray-Ban aviators with Bausch & Lomb lenses for almost half the price. And these are collector’s item since Ray-Bans now are already made with lenses by their Italian principals.
Escolta/Chinatown
Escolta is a historic place suffering from urban decay. It needs reviving. It could be revived, like New York’s Meatpacking District.
Filipino designers who maintain their design houses in Manila are Pitoy Moreno, Ben Farrales, Aureo Alonzo, Mike dela Rosa, among others.
So far, the only place of interest in Escolta is the very popular Savory restaurant. There’s also the appliance store Ambassador and the photo camera store, CameraHaus, on Dasmarińas Street.
I was able to buy an Edifier iPod speaker docking system for only P3,000 (I got to save P1,500 since it retails for P4,500).
In Chinatown/Binondo area, gold is cheap. Stores sell silver and gold.
Chinese herbal stores are also places of interest for those into Oriental healing.
I’ll skip the shopping paradise 168 and Tutuban/Divisoria because everybody knows the good buys there.
In these times of high prices, downtown Manila should be top of mind.
