Hooray! It’s been my 4th consecutive post since I started my blog here at WordPress. 🙂 I know! I can’t believe it either! Haha! And the good thing about this is that I’m kinda’ getting used to it. Ok, as promised, this blog is all about my 1st Thrift Shopping (Ukay-Ukay) Escapade [Part 1]! This is just the 1st part because it’s going to be quite a narrative (with pictures, of course!) and I promise not to leave out the great details!
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It was December 2011 (yes, it’s only been less than 2 months), my family decided to spend Christmas in Baguio. It was the first time for my family to spend Christmas away from home. But i think Baguio City was a great choice for a first! And if you’re not aware, Baguio has been considered to be the Ukay-Ukay Capital of the Philippines! Ironically, I wasn’t aware of this when we went there so I wasn’t all excited about the thrift shopping experience, I was more thrilled about how cold the weather would be in comparison here in the Metro. (Segue: I prefer to freeze to death rather than be burnt to ashes!)
So anyway, one evening we decided to try thrift shopping at Session Road. Apparently it was a street filled with numerous vendors selling both brand new and second-hand clothing, shoes, bags and toys. And with great number of items for sale, comes great number of people as well! Haha! 🙂
got these pictures from the internet
But what really got me overwhelmed were the prices written in bold marker ink: Php 10, Php 15 and Php 20! (That’s around US$ 0.20 – 0.50!) “Seriously?? These clothes are being sold for that small amount of money?! How could they earn a profit out of that?!” I said to myself while scanning the place in search for a great find. I didn’t really see anything that I like though. But my younger sister was determined to find a pair of vintage looking shoes. And guess what she saw amidst the low lighted street? She saw these good-looking pair of heeled Oxford’s. Wait, that didn’t sound right, I researched the net and came across with the politically correct term: “Blucher” with heels.
You could see the minor wear-and-tear, but it was still a great find. She tried them on, but it was too big for her size (she was a size 6 and this was a 7). I guess it wasn’t really meant for her. Man, she was disappointed! And being the one person with the biggest shoe size in my family (excluding my dad, of course!), I was a size 7! 🙂 I tried them on and they fit perfectly. They were sold for Php 300 (around US$ 7) but i tried to haggle and got them for only Php 250 (US$ 5.80 )! Felt bad for my little sis though. But she still bought them for me because she didn’t get me anything for Christmas. Sweet! 🙂
So after searching for a few more great finds, we decided to head back to where we were lodging and showed our folks what we bought. I headed upstairs to examine the shoes and I found out something even more interesting about them. They were branded, and not just any brand…
Yes, you got that right! Zara TRF Heel Blucher to be exact! 🙂 A pair of Brand New Zara TRF Heel Blucher would cost you around Php 2200 (US$ 50)! And paying around 11% of that amount for a slightly used pair would certainly be considered a great buy! I have to thank my little sister for this one. If it wasn’t for her, i wouldn’t have them in the first place! 🙂 Thanks Jam!
(From L-R) Ate Honey, Jam, Me*, Mom, J-Bee, Che & Dad
Baguio was a great place to spend Christmas, but maybe this year, my family and I would celebrate the holidays the traditional way. Coz’ everybody knows that there’s just no place like HOME!
But if ever you get a chance to visit Baguio City, try visiting the famous thrift shopping locations and night markets. You might be surprised of what’s in store for you there! Watch out for the sequel of my 1st Thrift Shopping (Ukay-Ukay) Experience. The setting would no longer be in Baguio because it would already be here in the Metro (Alabang and Las Pinas). I still consider this to be part of my 1st Ukay-Ukay Escapade! Hope you guys enjoyed reading. Til’ my next post! God Bless! 🙂
nostalgicollection 