Shopping in the ’60s

Few of our kids today can imagine a world without the shopping mall. There was a time when a "mall" meant a long stretch of green open space in front of a civic center – like the Washington Mall in the US capitol – and not the air-conditioned palaces of consumerism they are today. When I was growing up, shopping meant a jaunt to downtown, Divisoria or certain streets in Manila associated with clusters of stores selling similar goods. Those were different times.

In the 1960s, Manila’s downtown was getting too crowded and grimy for most people so alternative clusters opened nearer areas of suburban growth or in complexes that looked more like warehouses than shopping streets. I remember several favorites of mine – complete with sights, smells, and textures.

First, there was Cartimar Market, the PX center of the city. For those too young to know, imported and US-manufactured goods were in short supply in the ’50s and ’60s. The only opportunity to own these "luxury" goods was to get them via the commissaries of US bases in Subic, Sangley, and Clark airbase. These goods somehow got to the shelves in warehouse-type structures in Dau, Pampanga, or Cartimar in Pasay. One could shop for Dove soap, Kellogg’s cereals, Hershey’s chocolates, and Levi‘s jeans in these outlets.

Cartimar was – and still is – known for pets and pet supplies. Today, all the malls are stocked with cheap China goods and all manner of imported ware. This is one of the reasons why shopping trips (for those who can afford it) to Hong Kong, Singapore or the US have lost some of their attractiveness. Cartimar has changed, too, and is now a center for good bicycles and bike parts – both low- and high-end (some mountain bikes sell for over P100,000).

At the eastern edge of Manila was the Santa Mesa Market. I loved this place because of the range of imported goods available, especially the hobby stores that sold plastic model plane kits and flying balsa wood models. (I can’t find any old pictures and would welcome anyone’s leads as to where I could find images of the old market.) There was also an indoor roller skating rink that was popular – although I did not skate. Today, the site holds an SM, which is a comfortable enough facility, but I do miss the musty feel of the old markets and the labyrinthine corridors and stalls.

Farther away from central Manila but nearer our first house in Project 4 was Cubao. The shops were clustered in a strip of two-storey buildings anchored by the Aguinaldo’s department store. My favorite shop was Vasquez Brothers because of the school and arts supplies. Later on, the Aranetas built the New Frontier Cinema, which was linked to the Matsusakaya department store and an ice skating rink.

Down Highway 54 sprouted the most modern shopping center of them all – the Makati Commercial Center. The complex boasted a theater plus several smallish buildings that housed restaurants, shops, and convenience stores – all linked by a wonderfully landscaped outdoor "mall" designed by IP Santos. Shopping was a pleasure then, probably because the crowds were smaller and the air was cleaner to breathe (also the peso was two-to-a -dollar back then and could buy more).

The shopping centers became the fashion in other cities as well. Copying Cubao and Cartimar were facilities like the Capitol Shopping Center in Bacolod. Eventually, however, more and more people and traffic forced shopping indoors and the informal stalls, PX goods and clustering of sellers gave way to corporate "big-box" retailing, with everyone linked to the main computer and sales monitored like blood pressure. Less texture, quirkiness, and serendipity are now part of the shopping experience.

Our modern "malling" culture has had 30 years to evolve. All metropolitan areas in the country count several shopping malls, but a retro movement is emerging. Strip malls and clustering a la Cartimar are becoming the vogue again – just look at Ortigas Avenue near Greenhills, Rodriguez Avenue, and anywhere where there is a major thoroughfare next to large subdivisions. The Marikina Shoe Fair complex in Cubao is so retro it sells retro goods! The ukay-ukay phenomenon is also a trend that is now being formalized into purpose-designed buildings like St. Francis Square in Ortigas and the Las Tiendesitas on C-5. (A reader wondered whatever happened to Eloy’s – the original ukay-ukay chain.)

All this is good for the shopper, but I wish that government would coordinate with developers to make sure that transport infrastructure matches the developments’ requirements for access, parking, and public transportation. It would be good, too, if more of these facilities provide open green space and a greater mix of use rather than just retail. Hey, maybe they could bring back covered walkways like the old Manila downtown and old Cubao!

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.