Whoever said there's no money to be made in arts and
crafts obviously did not know about the thriving handmade crafts market in the
Philippines.
Last November 19,
creative entrepreneurs attended Road
to
Retail: Bringing Your Handmade Business to the Market, the fourth leg of the Growing Your Handmade Business
series organized by Craft MNL in partnership with co.lab, Manila Workshops, and
Globe myBusiness. It was held at co.lab xchange in Pasig City, with participants
coming from all over the Metro.
Similar to previous sessions in
the
series, experienced speakers shared their stories and personal insights about the
business to the class of hopefuls. For Road to Retail, Roma Agsalud of Popjunklove
and
Common Room and Patsy Paterno of Papemelroti were invited to talk.
Agsalud,
who
has grown to be a pillar of the local arts and crafts community, shared her personal
story of starting and building the two ventures she continues to run with her sister
Maan: Popjunklove, a handmade crafts and upcycling shop, and Common Room, a craft
store
housing the works of around 80 local artisans.
In her talk, she underlined
the
importance of a just-do-it attitude as the key to finding one’s place in the
industry.
Follow the things that excite you, she told the class, because they will show you
where
your passions lie. But don’t put them on a pedestal, she cautioned, as they might
intimidate you and make you too scared to actually do anything to make your dreams
into
reality.
Asgalud likewise stressed the value of failure as a learning
experience.
Mistakes are inevitable when you’re just starting out, she told the participants.
Instead of letting these setbacks discourage you, take into consideration what they
have
taught you about the business and adjust accordingly.
Rounding off her talk,
Agsalud imparted some no-nonsense lessons to the class for establishing a handmade
crafts business such as knowing your resources and finding accessible platforms,
reminding them that it’s easy to overlook the most obvious steps needed to
succeed.
Paterno, on the other hand, shared a different sort of story:
not one of a budding success, but of a 50-year run that has proven itself to be a
triumph in creative entrepreneurship. Papemelroti, the popular retail chain
specializing
in eco-friendly and recycled gifts and decorative accessories, is a family-run
business
that has already been served by three generations of the Alejandro family. Paterno
is
the “Pa” of the tongue twister name, with the first syllables of her four younger
siblings’ names comprising the rest.
To give the class a glimpse of what they
can
achieve through a deep belief in God as well as an unrelenting passion and drive to
create art, Paterno spoke about Papemelroti’s long journey: from its humble
beginnings
as a small shop in Tomas Morato, to the struggle of creating its own market and
niche,
to the company’s ongoing mission to help the environment and provide sustainable
livelihoods to its artists and workers.
Paterno also put under the spotlight
certain people employed by Papemelroti. In an effort to support and bolster the
community, the company welcomed these local artisans into the fold and worked
closely
with them to bring their skills and products up to the market's standard. Half a
century
in, Papelmeroti is still going strong because of the company's determination to
nurture
the passions of Filipino artists.
After Paterno’s talk, the class was treated
to
a
painting demonstration from her brother, award-winning graphic artist Robert
Alejandro,
who is not only the “Ro” of Papemelroti, but one of its top designers as well. The
participants were also given free Papemelroti products to take home, with a lucky
two
winning one-of-a-kind art books produced by Robert.
The session was closed
with a
creative activity led by mixed-media artist Airees Rondain, who showed the class the
vision boards she’d created over the years to get her inspired. She then tasked the
participants to make their own vision boards so they better can visualize their
goals as
creative entrepreneurs.
Rondain also shared her own story in the crafts
business.
Starting with handmade paper invitations, she has since ventured into other media,
becoming especially passionate about sustainability and the empowerment of Filipino
artisans. Rondain sells her products online, which she realized was easier to manage
and
gave her more time to focus on doing what she loved most: creating art. She
encouraged
the class to do the same, telling them how artisans and crafters can effectively get
their products out to the right market by using the right platforms.
Rondain is part of
Digimall, Globe myBusiness’
biggest online bazaar. Powered by
Shopify, Digimall features hundreds of online shops, and is the ideal place for
creative entrepreneurs who want to set up their own online stores to showcase
their
unique and beautiful handmade wares. Let your passions lead you and find success
by joining
Digimall today!
Road to Retail was organized with the aim of helping artisans and
crafters find a way to bring their products to the market. By exposing them to
speakers with years of experience in the business, the participants were taught
industry best practices, some established do’s and don’t’s of the handmade
crafts
business, and most importantly to budding creative entrepreneurs, the right
platforms to use for their passions.