by the SERDEF Media Bureau
(First published in the Philippine Online Chronicles, April 15, 2012)
So you have started your small business. You are new and small and have not started to link up with regular suppliers who would deliver your supplies to you or sell to you at a friendly discount.
So where do you go to buy those baking ingredients for your bakeshop? Or the fabric and accessories for your garment business? Or the beads and the glitters for your costume jewelry venture? Or the school supplies you want to stock up on in your small dry goods store?
Surely, you have tried or considered trying the one and only Divisoria (Divi or DV for the hep).
It is after all still the bargain hunters’ haven where you name it, it has it and where the dying tradition of haggling is still alive and bustling.
But wait, you might holler, isn’t DV a den of thieves and pickpockets? Isn’t it a place notorious for its humongous crowds and horrific traffic?
Shopping for bakeshop needs
David Ralph Lleno who describes himself as a small serial entrepreneur took the trip to Divisoria to buy baking supplies and was pleasantly surprised. Here are excerpts from his experience.
“Divisoria has improved a lot these days. There are new parking spaces (near the 168 mall) and the off season makes it calmer and easier to navigate. One thing that did not change though is the very cheap supplies. My brother and I bought baking tins for the bakery for almost half the price you’d get in SM. We also found suppliers of paper bags (for our packaging) as well as plastics and boxes. You name it, you can probably find it in Divisoria.”
But he got distracted from what he went to DV for, he said.
“I came in having a set budget for our bakery needs and spent a whole lot more on cheap (but awesome quality) shirts, stuffed toys, vegetables. So full is it of cheap tempting stuff.”
He also found the place to be disorganized: “You don’t even know where to start looking for the stuff you need. …. It became one helluva workout.”
Shopping for a crafts business
Bernie Gonzales Reyes writes in her digital scrapbook:
“Since I am now starting my own small invitation printing business, I need to look for cheaper supplies for my crafting needs. There is only one place I can think of when it comes to the words ‘affordable and cheap.’ None other than Divisoria.”
Here are some of the crafting materials Bernie found in Divi:
Fabric crafting tape (P20 each) , ribbons (P35-P80 per roll), embellishments, little bunnies in blue and pink, Hello Kitty buttons, baby color buttons.
She hastens to say: Of course, my Divi hunting will not be complete without buying stuff for my kids, for my home, for myself.
Tips for pleasurable shopping in Divi
Lenos gives the following advice to entrepreneurs and other people who are thinking of shopping in Divisoria:
- Parking has improved but not at all exemplary – take public transpo.
- Wear comfortable and flexible apparel. Better yet, come in your workout clothes.
- Psyche yourself out of buying things outside your list.
- Take a nice shower when you get back home.
Entrepreneur Philippines recommends – DV suppliers
“Whatever you need for your business –” writes Eileen Ang for Entrepreneur Philippines magazine, “fresh ingredients, raw materials, finished products, peripherals and accessories, among others, Divi surely has it.”
In its Divisoria issue last August, Entrepreneur Philippines featured four Divisoria-based suppliers whose stores have become vital links and resources for countless entrepreneurs all over the country.
Photo: from Virtual Tourist.com