(Part 1 of 2)

THE “Cubao Expo Entrance” sign greets visitors as if the U-shaped road going to all the stores will bring you to some festive place full of cheap bargains from China.

But this place where bargains come in the form of antique and collectible shops, where shoe stores offer handmade, made to order leather products and where galleries and the cinema show independently-produced works of art, has become a hub of counterculture.

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Located in Cubao, the area that used to be the country's business center, one can only expect to find a merging of business and culture in this area.

By day, Cubao X, as it is more popularly known nowadays, offers a relaxed atmosphere, perfect for those times when one has the luxury to spend a lazy afternoon reading books, looking for that one thing that will complete your collection, or appreciating art.

Stores in Cubao X open around 12 noon, as if the pressure of time is not a concern.

By night, it becomes a haven for the young who are looking for a night out apart from the usual show bands and clubs.

Indie bands play original music in a cozy second floor setting while below, trendy, well-heeled people dance along the road, drinking local beer to remix and house music underneath an open tent until the wee hours of the morning.

Ex-Marikina Shoe Expo

Cubao X is a quaint little area beside a bus station that used to be Marikina Shoe Expo. It was developed during the year 1968. Shoe factories from Marikina maintained their main retail outlets here.

By the year 2000, shoe sales dwindled. The owners decided to change the concept of the place by introducing galleries, restaurants and other novelty shops.

One store that survived the transformation of the place is Solimann Shoes, which has been in the area since 1968.

Artemio Yuparini, over-all manager of Solimann Shoes, had been working in area since 1968.

“This used to be a place for the association of shoe-makers in Marikina. Back in the day, during Marcos's time, this used to be a tourist destination. Even Imelda Marcos used to visit here. She supported the shoemakers, which is why Marikina became popular,” Artemio said.

Contracts of the shoe stores only ran up to the year 2000. Unfortunately, dwindling sales came along with the end of the contract. When the year 2000 arrived, many stores closed down.

Artemio cited cheap products coming from China as the main cause of the weakening sales. “I think we lost customers by as high as 50 percent. We changed focus from retail and wholesale to made to order leather products."

Artemio mused that new customers have become rare. Their clientele nowadays compose of balikbayans and regular customers who have been getting their service since the eighties.

The store also has regular clientele of celebrities such as Tony Ferrer, Rey Valera, and the Sexbomb Dancers.

Other stores such as Janilyn, Mark R Shoes, and Valentino Men's Shoes can still be found in the area.

Hub for collectors

The Grand House of Antiques is one of the stores that entered Cubao X when it was opened to other kinds of products.

Owner Ernie Alberto was in the business of second-hand components and televisions before. The store used to be located in Kamuning, a hub for antique collectors and sellers because many old houses can be found there.

Like Solimann Shoes, the store had to undergo an overhaul before it even transferred to the area because the entrance of China-made products into the Philippine Market affected its sales.

When electronics from China became more popular, demand for second-hand equipment weakened. Because of this, Ernie expanded into the antique and collectibles business which has now found a permanent home amongst the many other antique, collectible and garage shops in Cubao X.

Grand House has customers who had been following the store for 18 years.

“Our customers are usually from thirty's to fifty's. The young ones want to collect but they have no money for it. Those who are at age sixty usually do not want to invest anymore. That's what I noticed.”

Tin toys, vintage cameras, phones and components, old paintings, and antique furniture are some of the things that can be found in the Grand House.

"I had one customer who went here looking for pictures of dead people inside caskets. That was the weirdest inquiry from a customer that I ever had," Artemio said.

Around four more antique and collectible shops can be found along the area, each with its own special character.

Specialty Stores

Cubao X is also home to specialty stores. One of a kind vintage chandeliers can be found in a store named K.A.R.M.A. Genshiken offers anime-related products and Heima offers colorful rain wear as its latest window collection. There is one store that offers photo-printing on wood and a store that sells Choc Nut printed shoes.

Jeol Devavais, owner of Vinyl Dump where all kinds of LP’s can be found, shares that customers in these specialty stores come from all walks of life.

"I see customers going in the stores with ages ranging from sixteen to fifty. In my case, I was surprised, the youngest customer I had was a nine-year old who was into Beatles," Joel shared.

Joel used to maintain a store in Makati. He transferred to Cubao Expo last year. The store used to be in another location near a Lotto outlet.

"It's hard to get a place here. There are lots of store-owners who are in line. I'm lucky I was offered a place."

When the owners changed to concept of Cubao X, the place recovered a bit. More people came in that's why more people wanted to invest in the place.

Vinyl Dump's location in Cubao X has a second floor where all the premium LP's can be found.

"I'm selling Michael Jackson cd's a lot. It has become hard to find that's why I'm selling it as a set of four," Joel said.

Prices depend on the condition of the records. Customers who are looking for rare LP's can visit the store and request the owner to help them find what they are looking for.

By day

Cubao X comes alive at 12 noon, when stores open and people start coming in.

But it becomes even more alive at 12 midnight, when bands start to play and people start dancing to the beat of reggae, trance or rock depending on the mood for the night. (To be continued. Part 2 - Galleries, Cinemas, Cubao X by night)