4 Popular Destinations for Home Décor Bargain Hunters in Metro Manila

Dapitan Arcade started out as a streetside Christmas shopping spot where surplus items, native décor, and refurbished pieces were sold. Customers loved not only the affordability but also the diversity of wares it offered. Investors soon developed a huge lot near the area into a bazaar-type open-air structure. Another one quickly followed, along with the mushrooming of stalls around the vicinity.

Today Dapitan Arcade is a huge hub for décor and furniture, jewellery, and gift items. It is located at the corner of Dapitan and Kanlaon Streets in Barangay Sta. Teresita, Quezon City (near Welcome Rotonda). Prices can go from as low as a couple of hundred for simple display items and posters to PhP10,000 to PhP12,000 for big items like chests, wood partitions, and big Santa Claus displays.

The place gets really busy around Christmas time as it is frequented not only by bargain-hunters, but also well-off shoppers, designers, artists, and even celebrities looking for unique pieces. Some stalls have started increasing prices, so you need to either haggle expertly or look for cheaper options. If you’re going on a weekend or during Christmas, bring bottled water and a hand fan as it can get really crowded and humid. Wear light shirts, comfortable shorts and footwear for a lot of walking.

Read: Of Furniture and Furnishings: Where to Shop for Your Home Décor Needs

If you’re looking for Filipino handicrafts, the place to go is under the Quezon Bridge in Quiapo (hence, the name Quiapo Ilalim) where stores selling various items made from local materials such as bamboo, capiz shells, rattan, and abaca abound. The place has been around for such a long time that it has become a popular destination among foreign visitors and local shoppers alike.

Items from Quiapo Ilalim are sourced from different communities throughout the country, so it makes sense to support these Filipino producers and sellers and to promote local culture and heritage. Some of the items you’ll find on sale are items carved from wood, wind chimes, broomsticks, Ifugao rice god idols, décor made from capiz shells, woven baskets, lamp shades and picture frames, and souvenir items like key chains, paper weights, ref magnets, and many more. Prices start at PhP10.00 for small items like key chains and at PhP1,200 for special Christmas lanterns made with capiz shells. There are also small baskets for PhP130 to PhP160 each and hanging displays and lanterns made from abaca and shells for PhP250 to PhP 500 each.

Quiapo Ilalim is very near the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or more popularly known as Quiapo Church.

Browse ShoppersGuide directory for more handicraft stores.

Kamuning Road in Quezon City is where you can find Kamuning Swapmeet, a vintage décor and furniture flea market. You can also find a sprinkling of tiny antique shops selling second-hand furniture, vintage items, and antique décor along the stretch of Kamuning Road up until Tomas Morato Avenue. There are pre-war and post-war gadgets and memorabilia, old records, porcelain chandeliers, vintage typewriters, framed paintings, ceramic jars, old closets, crystal figurines, old telephones, vintage toy cars and so much more—there is a big chance that you will find something that will catch your fancy. Prices can go as low as PhP30.00 for coins and small trinkets to as high as PhP15,000 for vintage closets and PhP200,000 for old juke box machines. While collectible items like postcards, old newspapers and books sell from PhP100 to PhP1,500.

Kamuning Swapmeet is right near Edsa. You can also walk the stretch of Kamuning Road to find Nice Twice Thrift and Antique Shop (48 Kamuning Road) and other vintage furniture stores near Tomas Morato. There is also Siglo at 258 Tomas Morato where you can find antique furniture and other collectibles from early 1850s to late 1960s.

The stores along Evangelista Street in Barangay Bangkal in Makati form a huge flea market of novelty items and pre-loved furniture. Some shoppers find most of the shops to be hot, dusty, or disorganized, but if you’re the type who gets a kick out of going through the chaotic mess inside thrift stores, then dive right in! You might find treasures such as narra furnishing, art deco arm chairs, antique side tables, a lovely chandelier, or a timeless wall art. The whole compound opens at 8:00 AM and closes at 5:00 PM.

Price starts from Php70.00 to PhP350.00 for porcelain dining pieces like cups and saucers, plates, bowls, and the like. There are also dining and living room sets made from various woods. Living room set made from rattan can start from PhP6,500 and dining set made of Malaysian wood is priced at PhP15,000. They can go as high as PhP35,000 for those that are made of Narra. Aside from wood pieces, there are also display items like vases that can start from PhP1,500 to PhP5,000 and intricate chandeliers that can go as high as PhP45,000 but are still negotiable. Some sellers also provide delivery assistance if you need one.

Bangkal habitués advice customers to check the items thoroughly before paying for them. Some actually like the personality of a slightly damaged vintage piece, or the imperfection in an item from years past, but if the item is too damaged for function or purpose even if you have it refurbished, then it might be better to ditch it. Also, make sure to ask or haggle for the best price.

Browse ShoppersGuide directory for more shops that sell antiques and collectibles.

Flea markets, thrift stores, and specialty shops carry many of the wonderful pieces you’d want in your home or office, especially if you want to veer away from the cookie-cutter options that department stores and big décor shops present. If you’re open to adventure and if you look hard enough, then you will surely find treasures hidden among the confusion of trinkets and curios.