The Outpost fuses garage sale in resto bar

CEBU, Philippines - What seems to be just a rock music hub and a dining place now expands its venture into being a garage sale area at the same time.

Since 2006, The Outpost in Nivel Hills, Lahug has been traditionally brand-named as a hub for original local independent music in Cebu.

It has been popularly known as a place to hang out with families and friends while enjoying the nightly schedule of live music played by local and international bands.

But Kaloy Uypuanco who is the managing partner of The Outpost recently revealed that the resto bar has come up with a new concept and a unique marketing strategy of creating a garage sale community in Cebu just like in United States.

“The original idea is to come up with a concept wherein we could provide a platform to those who want or who have items to sell but do not have the proper venue to do that. Garage sale is famous in United States and we want to also make it a hit here in Cebu,” he said.

A garage sale, which is also dubbed as a yard sale, is defined as an informal sale of used goods initiated by private individuals or groups.

He cited that it could also be envisioned as flea market or a swap meet which is somewhat a bazaar wherein people who want to barter merchandise sell used goods at low prices.

According to him, The Outpost is believed to be the first resto bar to initiate such venture to date.

The Garage Sale Sunday officially kicked off last June 30 wherein there were 12 enthusiasts participated to sell their items.

Most of the goods found in a garage sale that Uypuanco cited include unwanted or used items from the household, old clothing, books, toy collections, furniture, table top accessories, ready-to-wear items, cars and even pets.

“To summarize everything, you can just sell anything. What they just need to do is visit our page in Facebook, message us and be interviewed with what they want to sell and they’re done,” he said.

He also said that garage sellers could also include new items on their display.

What sets them apart, Uypuanco noted, is that garage sale vendors are not being charged with space rental fees for the space provided. They are neither required to provide the resto bar with a percentage share of their sales.

“We do not ask for a rental charge or get a cut from their earnings. It’s now up to the sellers to advertise themselves and draw in a crowd,” he added.

Garage sellers are encouraged to come to the venue as early as 3 PM for the set-up. They could pick a spot where they prefer to sell their items and will be provided with the tables they need.

The Outpost sits on a 1000-square meter property. Half of the exterior side of the venue can be used for the garage sale.

Uypuanco added that those who are not interested to sell or buy could still drop by at The Outpost to chill since there is also live music and entertainment provided.

He then encouraged interested sellers and buyers to participate in the Garage Sale Sunday. The Outpost is open from 4 PM to 12 AM during Sundays.

Earlier, Uypuanco said that the rock music bar will be formally relaunched as a diner and grill house by September.

The Outpost will also officially introduce its new menu that is composed of Filipino home-style dishes such as pork belly, blue marlin, and chorizo de bungkag next month.

He added that with the relaunching as a resto bar, they also plan to be open for lunch soon.

He said that they hope to open a new branch in the future and open itself to the public for franchise.

It was last December 2012 that the refurnished bar was reopened under new management and with a totally new look. /JOB (FREEMAN)