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6 Spots in Baguio Where You Can Find the Best Ukay-ukay in the City

Know where to find the best and cheapest ukay-ukay in Baguio!

By: Liezl Formilleza-Dunuan | May 25, 2022
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ukay-ukay in Baguio, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio, Baguio night market

Welcome to Baguio, land of strawberries, fresh vegetables, and… ukay-ukay!

Images: Richard Basa

Yes, you read it right. In the City of Pines, retail shopping is taken to a different level, with hundreds of these shops competing with regular retail outlets. If you are out of things to do, try shopping ukay-ukay in Baguio!

Before the rise of department stores in the city, locals loved to go shopping at what they called “SM,” which is short for “Segunda Mano.” This is a Spanish term for second-hand items, from clothes to shoes and bags. Locally, ukay-ukay is also called “wagwag” which means “to shake”, since shaking off the dust from old clothes is what you do when you go to the wagwagan.

And because ukay-ukay in Baguio spots are plentiful in the city, here is a guide to the most popular places for your shopping pleasure.


1. Baguio Night Market

Address: Harrison Road (near Melvin Jones Auditorium)
Operating Hours: Daily, 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, ukay-ukay in Baguio

Shoppers jostle for space at the Baguio Night Market.

Image: Siami Altrice

On top of our list is the most popular ukay-ukay spot in the city: the Baguio Night Market. More than a hundred vendors set up here, stretching as far as Baguio Patriotic High School. It is one of the best places to visit in Baguio at night as it opens at 9:00 PM along Harrison Road, which is right after the main traffic intersection near Maharlika. One side of the road is closed to traffic, and vendors set up their wares as soon as the road is closed.

One good thing about the night market is the street food section which can be found near Igorot Park and across TiongSan. You can buy practically anything here, from secondhand clothes such as jackets to shoes, bags and other accessories. Some t-shirts and blouses can go as low as PhP20 per piece. If you get hungry after shopping, you know where to go.


2. Bayanihan Shopping Center (formerly Bayanihan Lodge Commercial Center)

Address: #51 Otek Street, Baguio City, directly adjacent to Burnham Park, Veniz Hotel, and the Maharlika Center
Operating Hours: Daily, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Patiently browse, and you might be rewarded with a gem!


Don’t let the exteriors of Bayanihan Shopping Center fool you. Underneath the antique-looking façade of this former hotel lies a score of wagwagan shops that sell clothes, shoes, bags, and even old toys and beddings. It is found in a primary location near Burnham Park, Hotel Veniz, and Maharlika Center.

This old hotel which hails back to the 1930s had, made a revival of sorts when it opened its doors to ukay-ukay stalls. Most shops specialize in clothes, shoes, or bags, with a few stalls selling other items. Clothes can go as low as PhP25 per piece for sale items or PhP50 to PhP100 per piece for new arrivals. Items can be pricier if the stall specializes in “selected” items or items that have been pre-selected based on their brand and quality. A few bag shops carry authentic brands such as Louis Vuitton and other designer bags.

Tip: Since the stalls are inside a building, they can get stuffy. If you are allergic to dust, wear a face mask. If you have asthma, make sure to take your medicine before going.


3. Skyworld Commercial Center

Address: Session Road corner F. Calderon Street
Operating Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, Baguio night market

Shop easily without emptying your wallet in thrift stores!


Another popular spot for ukay-ukay in Baguio is Skyworld Commercial Center, and rightly so because of its accessibility from Session Road, the city’s main thoroughfare. If you are looking for branded shoes and pre-selected clothes, this is your place. But since their products are carefully selected, they fetch much higher prices than the items in Bayanihan or the night market. However, imported brands are still cheaper here, so keep an eye out.

Tip: This is the best place to look for imported shoe brands like Merrell, several sports brands like Adidas and Nike, and leather boots.



4. Hilltop Public Market (formerly Hilltop)

Address: Behind Baguio Public Market
Operating Hours: Daily, 4:00 AM to 7:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Clothes, clothes, and more clothes at Hilltop!


Prices are always the lowest here; you can get a thick coat for only PhP40, a decent sports jacket for only PhP80, and blouses for as low as PhP10 to PhP25 each. A few stalls that sell shoes and bags, and leather jackets—make sure to scrutinize each piece for defects.

To reach this section of the public market, go past the meat section and the fish section. You will pass through some vegetable stalls as well. The clothing stalls are near the area where they sell carpentry and gardening tools.

Tip: The best time to go is weekday mornings, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM.


5. Abanao Street

Address: The building across Abanao Square on Abanao Street
Operating hours: 8:00 AM onwards


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, Baguio night market

Score various apparel to complete your OOTD.


Like other ukay-ukay spots, clothes, shoes, and bags are the main items here. Between Skyworld, Bayanihan, and this place, the stores here sell items at much lower prices. Watch out for the products in substantial balikbayan boxes, as things in them might be on sale and are dirt cheap.

Tip: Patience and perseverance are virtues that will serve you well while going ukay-ukay shopping.



6. Bookends Baguio

Address: Near UCPB Building, F. Calderon Street
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and Sunday, 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Bookends Baguio promotes the love for reading among Baguio folks and visitors.

Image: Ronald Allan Ramos Martinez

For a one-of-a-kind ukay-ukay experience, head to Bookends Bookshop. This secondhand bookshop sells books at lower prices than other shops and local Baguio artists’ artworks. To better see their selection of books, you can also check their Facebook page.

Tip: If you happen to stop by on the weekend, you can also have your portrait sketched by a local artist.


Is thrift shopping one of your favorite activities in Baguio? Share your best buys from Baguio’s ukay-ukay shops with us!


Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more shopping spots in Baguio!


Stay safe as you travel and shop! Make sure to follow social distancing protocols and observe health precautions. For now, keep safe!


This article was initially published in Yoorekka on March 16, 2018.


Check out this video:



ukay-ukay in Baguio, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio, Baguio night market

Welcome to Baguio, land of strawberries, fresh vegetables, and… ukay-ukay!

Images: Richard Basa

Yes, you read it right. In the City of Pines, retail shopping is taken to a different level, with hundreds of these shops competing with regular retail outlets. If you are out of things to do, try shopping ukay-ukay in Baguio!

Before the rise of department stores in the city, locals loved to go shopping at what they called “SM,” which is short for “Segunda Mano.” This is a Spanish term for second-hand items, from clothes to shoes and bags. Locally, ukay-ukay is also called “wagwag” which means “to shake”, since shaking off the dust from old clothes is what you do when you go to the wagwagan.

And because ukay-ukay in Baguio spots are plentiful in the city, here is a guide to the most popular places for your shopping pleasure.


1. Baguio Night Market

Address: Harrison Road (near Melvin Jones Auditorium)
Operating Hours: Daily, 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, ukay-ukay in Baguio

Shoppers jostle for space at the Baguio Night Market.

Image: Siami Altrice

On top of our list is the most popular ukay-ukay spot in the city: the Baguio Night Market. More than a hundred vendors set up here, stretching as far as Baguio Patriotic High School. It is one of the best places to visit in Baguio at night as it opens at 9:00 PM along Harrison Road, which is right after the main traffic intersection near Maharlika. One side of the road is closed to traffic, and vendors set up their wares as soon as the road is closed.

One good thing about the night market is the street food section which can be found near Igorot Park and across TiongSan. You can buy practically anything here, from secondhand clothes such as jackets to shoes, bags and other accessories. Some t-shirts and blouses can go as low as PhP20 per piece. If you get hungry after shopping, you know where to go.


2. Bayanihan Shopping Center (formerly Bayanihan Lodge Commercial Center)

Address: #51 Otek Street, Baguio City, directly adjacent to Burnham Park, Veniz Hotel, and the Maharlika Center
Operating Hours: Daily, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Patiently browse, and you might be rewarded with a gem!


Don’t let the exteriors of Bayanihan Shopping Center fool you. Underneath the antique-looking façade of this former hotel lies a score of wagwagan shops that sell clothes, shoes, bags, and even old toys and beddings. It is found in a primary location near Burnham Park, Hotel Veniz, and Maharlika Center.

This old hotel which hails back to the 1930s had, made a revival of sorts when it opened its doors to ukay-ukay stalls. Most shops specialize in clothes, shoes, or bags, with a few stalls selling other items. Clothes can go as low as PhP25 per piece for sale items or PhP50 to PhP100 per piece for new arrivals. Items can be pricier if the stall specializes in “selected” items or items that have been pre-selected based on their brand and quality. A few bag shops carry authentic brands such as Louis Vuitton and other designer bags.

Tip: Since the stalls are inside a building, they can get stuffy. If you are allergic to dust, wear a face mask. If you have asthma, make sure to take your medicine before going.


3. Skyworld Commercial Center

Address: Session Road corner F. Calderon Street
Operating Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, Baguio night market

Shop easily without emptying your wallet in thrift stores!


Another popular spot for ukay-ukay in Baguio is Skyworld Commercial Center, and rightly so because of its accessibility from Session Road, the city’s main thoroughfare. If you are looking for branded shoes and pre-selected clothes, this is your place. But since their products are carefully selected, they fetch much higher prices than the items in Bayanihan or the night market. However, imported brands are still cheaper here, so keep an eye out.

Tip: This is the best place to look for imported shoe brands like Merrell, several sports brands like Adidas and Nike, and leather boots.



4. Hilltop Public Market (formerly Hilltop)

Address: Behind Baguio Public Market
Operating Hours: Daily, 4:00 AM to 7:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Clothes, clothes, and more clothes at Hilltop!


Prices are always the lowest here; you can get a thick coat for only PhP40, a decent sports jacket for only PhP80, and blouses for as low as PhP10 to PhP25 each. A few stalls that sell shoes and bags, and leather jackets—make sure to scrutinize each piece for defects.

To reach this section of the public market, go past the meat section and the fish section. You will pass through some vegetable stalls as well. The clothing stalls are near the area where they sell carpentry and gardening tools.

Tip: The best time to go is weekday mornings, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM.


5. Abanao Street

Address: The building across Abanao Square on Abanao Street
Operating hours: 8:00 AM onwards


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, Baguio night market

Score various apparel to complete your OOTD.


Like other ukay-ukay spots, clothes, shoes, and bags are the main items here. Between Skyworld, Bayanihan, and this place, the stores here sell items at much lower prices. Watch out for the products in substantial balikbayan boxes, as things in them might be on sale and are dirt cheap.

Tip: Patience and perseverance are virtues that will serve you well while going ukay-ukay shopping.



6. Bookends Baguio

Address: Near UCPB Building, F. Calderon Street
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and Sunday, 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM


6 Popular Spots for Ukay-Ukay in Baguio City, where to buy ukay ukay in Baguio

Bookends Baguio promotes the love for reading among Baguio folks and visitors.

Image: Ronald Allan Ramos Martinez

For a one-of-a-kind ukay-ukay experience, head to Bookends Bookshop. This secondhand bookshop sells books at lower prices than other shops and local Baguio artists’ artworks. To better see their selection of books, you can also check their Facebook page.

Tip: If you happen to stop by on the weekend, you can also have your portrait sketched by a local artist.


Is thrift shopping one of your favorite activities in Baguio? Share your best buys from Baguio’s ukay-ukay shops with us!


Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more shopping spots in Baguio!


Stay safe as you travel and shop! Make sure to follow social distancing protocols and observe health precautions. For now, keep safe!


This article was initially published in Yoorekka on March 16, 2018.


Check out this video:



author

Liezl is a freelance writer based in Baguio. With a background in Journalism, her love for the written word goes beyond news and feature writing, as she writes for several online lifestyle publications. Local culture, food, and travel are her favorite themes.

ukay ukay Baguio shopping Baguio City

Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are for general information and entertainment purposes only. Although careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not make any warranty about the completeness and accuracy of all information presented in our articles. Our content is not intended to be used in place of legal, medical, or any professional advice.

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