Loading ...Old shopping haunts rediscovered
By Jake Ramirez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MENTION Cartimar and Cash & Carry and Haruta, Sebago, Sperry Topsiders, Dragonfly and Tretorn sneakers as well as Cousu Main espadrilles come into mind. This Christmas, bring out the kid in you by rediscovering these two shopping destinations if you are looking for a place to shop minus the crowds.
Cartimar
Cartimar Shopping Center is still there after almost four decades. For those who used to frequent this place, Cartimar has retained its charm. The shops are still there, selling mostly imported rubber shoes and other items. There are also cheap imported shoes from China.
However, some stalls are selling the real McCoy. When I was working for a retail shoe brand, we made sure that Cartimar dealers got invited to pre-ordering season just to get their bulk orders.
What used to be a community shopping complex catering mostly to affluent dwellers of Donada, Leveriza, Harrison, Park Avenue, and Taft has remained true to its roots—a hassle-free destination, no noisy hawkers, no obnoxious sidewalk vendors, only peace and quiet, except for the barking of dogs and the chirping of birds from the nearby pet shops. Cartimar was the source of PX goods and imported brands not locally available then such as Lacoste and Ralph Lauren.
Trivia: This part of Pasay used to be the enclave of old, rich families such as the Lopas and Cojuangcos. Palatial mansions and summer homes dotted the old Dewey Boulevard (Roxas Boulevard) all the way to Dominga in Vito Cruz. Ninoy and Cory Aquino got married at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish along Harrison Street.
Cartimar Wet Market is still in business even if the bigger Pasay Public Market is giving it stiff competition. Korean and Japanese grocery stores have sprouted to serve the expats and locals who love cooking dishes from these countries.
Cartimar’s ultimate attractions these days are the pet shops and bike stores. For pet lovers, dogs of all breeds and sizes as well as cats, freshwater and tropical aquarium fish, and even reptiles are for sale. Supplies, from pet foods, accessories and veterinary services are available from rows and rows of pet shops.
The Cartimar Garden Center has shrunk in size through the years. Today it occupies a small space; it used to be an entire building. It sells orchids, garden plants such as palms and ornamental potted plants, and garden supplies.
Cash & Carry
The old building that used to house the stalls has been dismantled to give way to a new Cash & Carry. As they say, bigger is better, and this applies to the new mall structure.
Cash & Carry, the shopping destination before the advent of mammoth malls, is now a single four-story affair. On the first floor one finds the iconic Makati neighborhood supermarket and retail giants and food chains—National Book Store, Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Yellow Cab Pizza, Astrovision, Mercury Drug, Bench and Folded & Hung—and small stores selling mostly export overrun items.
Also on the ground floor is one of my favorite shopping pit stops, Japan Home Center, which is omnipresent in malls in the metro. Here, one finds Japanese products—from school supplies to kitchen and home paraphernalia. I make sure I buy a set of wooden hangers, a steal at P55 for three pieces and I just can’t get enough of them. These hangers look so good in any closet, instead of the black plastic ones.
On the mezzanine level is Adidas Depot and a couple of international shoe brands. Also, the PX shops of the old Cash & Carry have relocated to this level. One can find BVD, Fruit of The Loom and imported Hanes bundled undershirts, with scents and other imported beauty products.
On the third level, two new state-of-the-art cinemas have been added. Shops such as Abenson, ACE Hardware, and shops for electronics and mobile phones, and the mall’s food court are also in this level.
Recently, Cash & Carry opened a tiangge-type bazaar area aptly called The Good Find. Think Greenhills without the crowd, this is the feeling one gets when shopping in this bazaar. I was lucky to find American Eagle Outfitter hoodies selling for P500/3 pieces in one of the stalls.
Times may have changed, but you can’t teach old dog new tricks. Cartimar and Cash & Carry are two shopping destinations that remain hot, even if the ’80s skinny jeans have come and gone, and come again, in fashion. Whatever the season, Cartimar and Cash & Carry are worth visiting and revisiting.
Tags: christmas
