Working Title: Because Sometimes, Nice Things are Found Randomly [The Manila Collectible Co.]

The Manila Collectible Co. building (Credit: TMCC Facebook page)

I love randomly walking in Manila. It's the off-chance of finding some interesting shop or building that keeps me coming back there. It's always-changing (not always for the better, but that's a post for another day), if slowly, and that dynamic nature of it keeps Manila interesting.

Three weeks ago, I was on my usual once-a-week routine. My routine goes something like this: I go to Manila, visit one of the churches there (stay with me here, I don't intend to preach), check out wares in Divisoria, then merrily make my way back home. Sometimes I pass by the ever-reliable Eng Bee Tin store (my preference is the one on Ongpin street).

On this certain day, I deviated from my routine a bit, though. I went to Divisoria first, having come from Cubao earlier in the day, and planned to do the church visit afterwards. And because I was also eager to check out bulk shirt prices and do some canvassing (something I don't usually do - when I check out wares in Divisoria, it's usually just gawking without even going so far as to ask for prices), that threw me out of my regular routine more, so after Divisoria and getting a couple of hangers for my grandma while I was there, I boarded a jeep to Lawton and forgot to pass by Binondo Church.

Oops. (Credit: Our Awesome Planet)

Truth be told, I can still alight and walk the short distance to the church by the time I realized I hadn't visited the church yet. But having paid the fare already, and being the cheapskate that I am (there's a reason why my other blog is called "The Low-end Geek", and it doesn't help that I'm trying to stretch out my money to act I'm all indie and stuff :D ), I figured I can just visit Manila Cathedral instead, since I'm alighting at Lawton anyway. Also, I haven't been to Intramuros in a couple of months, even though my route routinely skirts the outskirts (heh) of that walled city.

So I did just that, only to find that the church was closed for repairs. Great.

Well, there's always San Agustin church. I started going that way when I noticed a couple of vertical banner ads hanging from the lamp posts.

It read, "The Manila Collectible Co." and it's supposed to be just behind the cathedral (I didn't take a photo of one of those ads, so sue me haha). Convenient! Because I'm an easily-excitable man for souvenir shops in Intramuros, I figured to head there first.

Side note: souvenir shops in Intramuros are the shiz. There's a high level of salesmanship that's evident in the store displays, probably owing to the fact that Intramuros is one of the key tourist destinations in Manila. Have you been to the Silahis store? You should. They have a massive amount of Filipiniana inventory there, in a duplex floor layout - yeah, they have that many items. Other souvenir stores in the area have charms of their own, enhanced by being housed in either centuries-old buildings or buildings built to resemble the original structures that once stood there, since World War 2 did level a number of buildings in the area. SM's Kultura concept stores can't hold a candle to any of them, in my opinion (apologies to fans of that store chain).

They weren't kidding when they said the store was behind the church. Only a small street separates the church and the building where the store was located. The store itself is on the third floor of that building (photo shown at the beginning of this entry).

Walking into the store, I saw that they had a pretty big space rented out. There were also shelves and shelves of foodstuffs and crafts, as well as a small gallery at the far end from where I was standing at. I spied a group of visitors near the gallery area and it looks like they were on a tour of sorts of the store, with a lady showing them around.

A small section of their store space.

I proceeded to start looking at the wares when a lady came up to me and welcomed me to the store. She also asked if I wanted to take a tour of the store. I figured, sure, it's not like I'm in a rush, anyway.

So off she went, taking me around the store, and explaining pretty much most items in the store except for obvious ones like books and hand puppets, what each is of for, where it came from, the works. She knows her stuff very well. What did I tell you? High level of salesmanship.

A good number of the items, if not most, are handmade. Many are sourced directly from their locations of origin, and there were a couple of reproduction items for items that aren't exactly easily-obtainable like centuries-old baybayin-inscribed copper tablets. To be sure, I found pieces there that I probably would have been hard-pressed to find in the metro, if at all.

That copper plate reproduction I mentioned

Somewhere in the middle of the tour, one of the store people popped up beside me and gave me wine to drink. I'm not really much of a wine guy, but hey, free is free. Again, what did I tell you? High level of salesmanship. Even if I never buy wine from them for personal consumption (it's more of a personal preference for other liquor rather than the quality of the wine), they still made an impression of me that when I do plan to buy wine to gift to others, they have a selection to choose from. (to be fair, the wine I had was sweeter than usual, so I could find myself liking that more down the line)

This might be a good time to mention that there are quite a number of free taste tests you can avail of there. But please, don't abuse the offer. :)

They have drinking water handy for when you want to try this.

My shop guide, Anna, actually turned out to be an associate of Charisse, the one who initially conceptualized the shop (who turned out to be the one giving the shop tour to the group I mentioned earlier), and both of them went around the country on an exposure trip of sorts to bring together the inventory they amassed in this store. Along with the items on display were pictures they took of the indigenous people where they got the items from.

One cool-looking grandma.

Charisse later joined me and Anna after the group left. Apparently those in the group were also bloggers, though they're most likely higher up on the professional blog chain than a decidedly rank amateur like me. Anyway, I found out from Charisse and Anna that the vision for this store was to be able to showcase native products from all over the country to people who, for various reasons, may not be able to travel there themselves, and to also show a microcosm of the richness that is Filipino culture, beyond the usual tropes most Metro Manila denizens know of (like jeepneys and balut).

That's her hand right there as she was showing me the intricacies of T'nalak weaving.

Not only that, they also aim to highlight some overlooked (or perhaps even unknown to many) aspects of our history, such as some of our ancestors' ties to Buddhism. And all of these while being able to give back to those small communities directly by giving them a venue to sell their items to the Metro Manila crowd and tourists, but also indirectly by raising awareness for these people through these shop tours as well as informational displays shown alongside the items.

Reproduction figure of the ancient original found some time ago.

Personally, I feel the shop is on the right track in achieving their goals. It doesn't have the breadth of offerings bigger shops have, but you can be assured that all items there have been carefully curated and they showcase some of the best the country has to offer, from centuries-old traditions like woven textiles and music, to relatively new and innovative foodstuffs.

That one on the right are candied flower buds in a pack. I'll let you know how it tastes sometime.

I asked about the gallery. When I was there, they featured paintings from students who could benefit from some exposure they may or may not be able to garner on their own, having come from a smaller college. From what I recall, proceeds from paintings sold there will go to the original artists directly. I thought it was nice of them to do that. I further asked if the gallery can be availed by request. The answer is yes, arrangements can be made for that.

The gallery space.

Interestingly enough, the shop also has a space allocated for a kids' activity center, for when a visitor may want to browse around and have his/her kid do something instead of being dragged around and feeling bored. It's a nice and thoughtful touch. There are books, playthings, and art materials available for kids to use.

Activity space for kids.

The shop, while already good, is still in the nascent stages, and there is definitely room for growth - figuratively and literally. There's a whole penthouse area above the store and visitors are free to go up and hang out there. From what Charisse tells me, another entrepreneur plans to rent that space to use as a coffee shop.

View from the penthouse. Yes, this is the back of Manila Cathedral. They're literally behind it.

Also, aside from the gallery space, the store will also hold various seminars (the first of which will be on Saturday and will feature local tourism industry personalities such as Carlos Celdran) intended to further help local appreciation of our history and culture. Again, a nice touch, and it ties-in nicely to what Charisse envisions for the store and what she aims for.

More than the store itself, though, it was very nice to have talked to both Charisse and Anna, since I learned quite a bit from even just going through the store with them, and I got the impression that they really are sincere with their vision, not to mention that they're impressive with their knowledge of local cultures beyond Metro Manila. Again, these two have actually gone around the country to source their items and have spent considerable time with indigenous folks to understand the traditions and culture associated with the items they sell.

Anna (on the left) and Charisse, my two gracious hosts that afternoon wearing malongs.

All in all, a fun shop for me, personally. I did mention to Charisse that they could try talking to veteran photographers who have photos of Manila from the 50's and such. It would be nice to showcase old Manila then, not just for nostalgic purposes, but also as a gentle reminder to Filipinos visiting how beautiful Manila was back then and could still be if we all started caring. I know I'd be all over those prints if ever they start selling those.

And then there's one more thing. While chatting with Charisse, I found out that we live in the same village, and as I was about to leave, she offered a ride home since she was also about to leave herself. Seeing a magnificent freebie opportunity materialize in front of me, I took her up on her offer. Along the way home, she pointed out to me a fantastic barbecue place that I fully intend to visit soon.

Hint: It's somewhere here. I'll reveal the location some other time. :D

So to recap, I get to see a great store, learn new things, make new friends, get a free ride home (from the shop owner herself), AND discover a good place to eat. How cool is that? Man, I'll keep walking in random directions until my legs fall off.

The Manila Collectible Co. is located at the third floor of Villa Blanca building, Cabildo corner Beaterio streets in Intramuros. They are open Tuesdays to Sundays.

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