A haven for entrepreneurs

The yuletide season brings out the entrepreneurial best in young women and men whose creativity and business acumen are at play in the bazaars that proliferate with abandon and bring out the magical sounds of the cash register. These bazaars are cause for rejoicing: shoppers take delight in good buys and merchants have exciting outlets for their products.

Tired of the wares and madding crowds at department stores as they look for Christmas presents, shoppers welcome the cornucopia of items made available: antique aparadors, pottery, cookware and glassware from some Roman flea market, traditional stuffed bears and high-tech toys, exotic tree seedlings, ever fragrant candles, expensive garments sold at unbelievable prices, Rolex watches, sandals from Africa and many, many more.

The vendors, of course, find the bazaars exciting outlets for theirs wares. Their sales encourage them to work harder and, from there, their efforts burst out into retail outlets, boutique shops, and big business.

Indeed, if there’s such a thing as a booming underground economy — in both good and bad times — bazaars are one of its success indicators.

Queen of bazaars

Carmen Jimenez-Ong has spent the last eight years organizing what is considered by many as "the queen of bazaars." This ninth time around, Heaven Sent: The Lifestyle Bazaar features more than 100 stalls — more than double the number of vendors last year.

The bazaar dates are two weekends — Nov. 11 and 12 and Nov. 17 and 18 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati. Jimenez-Ong says many of the vendors are "old timers" who have made good.

The owners of Barks and Twigs, who sell hand made paper products, said that, at its worst, they break even during the bazaar dates but, after the bazaar, they get so many orders that they can hardly cope.

"One of our original merchants, Geena Llamanzares, started off by selling women’s clothes. She would rent one stall in Heaven Sent. With her charming and hard working attitude, her company grew and eventually carried home accessories. Today, Geena owns three huge stores called ‘Play and Display’ and is not only a vendor in Heaven Sent, but also the waiting lounge sponsor," said Jimenez-Ong.

Another Heaven Sent vendor that has made it big is Mary Grace Dimacali of Mary Grace Ensaymadas. Starting from the home, and with just a few boxes of treats, her product can now be found in kiosks in malls during Christmas time.

Carmen also points to success story MacMac’s big-hearted proprietor, Arthur Evangelista, who was one of the very first vendors who supported Heaven Sent. "He is a firm believer that one must give back to the country." In a burst of happiness in the 1998 Heaven Sent Bazaar, he donated all his credit card sales to HSB beneficiary, Alay sa Batang Pinoy.

Many of the merchants are hobbyist housewives who bake pastries, do needlecraft and handicraft when the kids are in school. Because of the special care given them, their items at the HSB become hits.

Theme

Jimenez-Ong, who handpicks the vendors with the help of her staff and friends, thinks of new "gimmicks" to enliven each year‘s bazaar, and so it doesn’t become a tiring tiangge. "The emphasis this year is wellness," says Jimenez-Ong. "We are having physical and spiritual fitness demos by health buffs, cooking with herb demos, and showing home-grown remedies for common illness."

Also, there will be a child’s activity center to be run by nuns from the Sacred Heart School of San Lorenzo Village. The first hour stay at the center is free.

The all-time beneficiaries of proceeds from HSB are children. The first children were those of prisoners. This time, it’s the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), which looks after the welfare of children around the world.

Getting vendors together, planning, and making sure HSB is a success requires business acumen, guts and determination – and Carmen, has all those.

After graduating from International School Manila, with honors. She took a short stint in Japanese business and Southeast Asian economics at Sophia University in Japan. In 1995, she graduated from Ateneo de Manila University, BS management, with honorable mention. In 1997, she took art studies in Florence, Italy. from 1998 to the present, she has been working as executive director of GMA Foundation. She continues to serve as director on boards of non-profit organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, Philippine NGO Council for Population, Women and Health, and Tabang Mindanaw.

Indeed, Carmen and HSB are heaven-sent for shoppers and merchants.