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These Small and Start-up Entrepreneurs Caught My Attention
“I’ve observed that quality is good and customer service is a lot better.”
By: Aimee Morales | July 08, 2017
When shopping for various items, we usually go to malls or to any of the bigger stores. Recently though, there has been a movement to support the small entrepreneurs and I am one of those who avidly support these small specialty stores. These entrepreneurs are the stay-at-home moms who bake cakes, the young start-up businessmen, and the full-time employees running a small business on the side. And while they don’t have enough operating capital to fund a marketing campaign or to pay for a prime spot inside a mall, their capital goes straight to making their products and services great.
Here are a few examples of hardworking start-up entrepreneurs trying to make a name for themselves that I personally like:
1. Heal T- foods
Facebook: Heal T-foods
Mobile No.: 0926-6461351
Owned by Merck Alvarez and Amiya Velayo, Heal T-foods is all about organic, healthy, vegetarian, and vegan food products. You can find them in bazaars and also online through their FB Page (Heal T-foods). They sell veggie meat, vegetarian/vegan bagoong, veggie chops, soya milk, vegan tapa and tocino, and many other healthy and organic food products. Once I ordered a can of authentic Thai tea because I love making my own milk tea.
Packed lunches may also be ordered for your events and parties. For a change, it would be nice to serve vegan or vegetarian meals at parties instead of the usual hotdogs and spaghetti.
2. Comrade Leather Goods
Website: http://comradeleathergoods.com
Facebook: Comrade Leather Goods
Comrade Leather Goods (CLG) is owned by Marlon dela Cruz and Aryann Avenido, a young couple who are both into photography. They started the business more than a year ago by producing camera straps and camera accessories made of genuine leather. Today, CLG manufactures wrist straps, cord holders, key holders, passport holders, and other leather products.
The CLG team is sincere in their efforts to provide high-quality leather products to their customers. Clients praise them for being friendly and professional. You can find CLG items in the Common Room Power Plant and at various bazaars all over the Metro.
3. Lago Handmade
Facebook: Lago Handmade
E-mail address: lago.handmade@gmail.com
Another couple who is into leather craft is Jona and Alvin Lago of Lago Handmade. They create custom-made bags and luggage made of real leather, right in their own home! It’s truly a labor of love. They also make other leather products like passport holders and purses. Everything is made by hand—from cutting to sewing—so the bags are not just durable, they are absolutely lovely! When you own something that is crafted by hand, it is very special. Lago Handmade products are all hand-sewn and hand-cut.
Like most small entrepreneurs, they are also frequent sellers in bazaars and weekend markets.
4. Katribu Tatu
Where: Buting, Pasig City
Facebook: Katribu Tatu
Katribu Tatu specializes in the traditional hand-tap method. Jean Sioson and Jonathan Cena have been running this small tattoo shop for several years now and they have already established a loyal following of happy clients. Katribu Tatu is one of the very few tattoo studios that use the traditional hand-tap method made popular by Apo Whang-od.
Of course, I am one of the satisfied clients. I got a hand-tapped piece and another one done with a tattoo machine. If you also want to get inked, and especially if you’re thinking of having a tribal piece, a hand-tapped design, or one of the local favorite Baybayin-inspired designs, head over to Katribu Tatu at the corner of A. Santos and San Guillermo Streets.
5. Nike’s Paleo Diet Meals
Where: Metro Manila
Facebook: Nike’s Paleo Diet Meals
Mobile No.: (+632) 927-848-2425
Owned and run by Executive Chef Nike Bakunawa, Paleo Diet Meals creates dishes according to a client’s “specifications and special dietary restrictions.” The Paleo Diet consists of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seafood, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats. Chef Nike makes the meals herself and these are available for delivery or catering in Metro Manila.
6. Sticks and Stones
Where: Pasay City
Facebook: Sticks N Stones
Sticks and Stones entrepreneur and designer, Dimple Lim, makes “clothes that work.” The business is into creating custom-made clothing for weddings and other occasions—from every day office wear to children’s party /school costumes. Custom-made clothes are, for me, more preferable because they fit perfectly (literally and figuratively). So instead of buying something at the mall, for example, it would be nice to have something custom-made once in a while.
Sticks and Stones also sells colorful wooden buttons.
7. Sweet Keyks
Where: Bulacan
Facebook: Sweetkeyksbylhen
Her sweet creations caught my attention because the cakes are really nicely done. Lhen Lopez, entrepreneur and baker, is a wonderful cake artist and probably one of the best kept secrets of Malolos, Bulacan. Lhen Lopez makes absolutely gorgeous cake creations, like gravity cakes and flowers so beautiful you wouldn’t want to eat them!
Sweet Keyks by Lhen Lopez makes cakes and cupcakes for all occasions. A satisfied client praised her product, saying that it’s “super moist and is just the right amount of sweetness.”
8. The Green Kitchen
Where: Ormoc City
Facebook: The Green Kitchen
Mobile no.: (+632)915-948-3085
The business is owned by female artist Madhu who is based in Ormoc City. When she was still living in Sagada, she opened a tea shop & art gallery called Cosmic Tea Shop. Upon moving to Ormoc, the business transformed into The Green Kitchen, a vegan kitchen and art gallery in one. She makes the vegan meals herself, ready for delivery to customers.
The Green Kitchen doesn’t use mushrooms, onions, garlic, MSG, meats, seafood, and gluten. To make the healthy meals, Madhu uses Himalayan salt, virgin coco oil, olive oil, organic tofu, and sesame oil. All vegetables and fruits are sourced from local producers’ organic farms.
Personally, I would rather put my money into small businesses if they are selling what I am looking for. I have observed that the quality of their products or service is just as good as those found in the malls, and that customer service is a lot better. I enjoy talking to them as friends, sometimes making requests for future purchases or adjustments in specifications—the feedback is always welcome! Plus, I know that my money will go directly towards expanding their small business or otherwise sending their children to school, buying food for the family, or sustaining their livelihood. And that’s why I will always be a fan of those small shops at the corner.
Photos/Images are from the official websites and Facebook pages of featured establishments.
Photos are from the official websites and Facebook pages of featured establishments.
Check our list of gift shops in Manila or browse the Specialty Goods Category of the ShoppersGuide Directory.
About Aimee Morales
Aimee Morales is a freelance writer and editor. She is the founder of FLOW, a small community of writers who write for healing and inspiration. She started the Freelance Writers' Guild of the Philippines (FWGP) in 2010 and served as its president until September 2020. Balangay Productions published her first book, “Why Mandaya Teens Have Sharp Black Teeth” in 2015. Five years later in 2020, she published her second book (an eBook) titled, “Alignment: Lessons on Writing”. Aimee is a single mother, tai chi and eskrima practitioner, and creator of the #santoshaproject - a personal effort to encourage more people to incorporate the Santosha gratitude practice into their daily lives.
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