MUSINGS OF A CERTIFIED MALL RAT (Part 1)

I AM now almost 64 years old, a retiree with lots of time to spare in my hands. And what better way to while away my leisure time than to spend it rediscovering the malls. My second home, my "office", where I dine (the choices are limitless), shop, watch the latest movies, pay the bills, watch free concerts, do the grocery (although my wife and I regularly do this), and even hear mass, etc. 

I took it upon myself to drive the wifey around, and I'm thankful to her for it preoccupies me (keeps me on my toes), having something to do in my senior years...and not just lazing around at home browsing through the Internet (post domestic chores). Our family doctor-friend told us once that malling is good exercise during your retirement years because you never notice how many miles you're actually walking even while window-shopping (because it's never boring). Well, now you have the Fitbit, of course, which tracks how many steps you've taken and how many calories you've burned.

We Filipinos take great pride in our world-class malls (scattered all around the country with heavy concentration in Metro Manila) which are even way bigger and better than those you see in progressive countries that are popular shopping destinations.

The mall maze continues to amaze this Certified Mall Rat (CMR) 🐁 who has been through (and almost inhabited) the labrynths a lot that you can also now call me Mickey. 

The Early Malls

Remember that long before the taipans -- Sy, Ayala, Gokongwei, Tantoco, etc. -- built their strategic malls everywhere, the Manila (that gloriously boasted of the early cinema houses in the country), Cubao and Makati theaters were making a killing at the ticket booths. The proliferation of movie houses in Makati and Cubao eventually led to the natural death of dilapidated and aging (and smelly!) Manila theaters. The malls with their brand spanking movie theaters eventually shut these Makati and Cubao theaters down for good. Not to mention the small groceries, hardwares, restaurants, boutiques, barber shops, drug stores, etc. that were bamboozled by these behemoth malls. But that's another story altogether...

Photo credit: Curio World

Since our JINGLE office is just a stone's throw away from Ali Mall -- that iconic landmark in the middle of the Araneta Center -- we have been frequenting the place ever since. Ali Mall was built by the Aranetas in 1976 as a tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali during the Thrilla in Manila in 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum (where Ali won the bout against his bitter rival Joe Frazier). This was the first major shopping mall in the Philippines. 

There's also Harrison Plaza (owned by the Martel family), the country’s “first one-stop shopping mall”,  which ceased operations after 43 long years. It opened its doors in 1976 -- making it one of the oldest malls in Manila.

Photo credit: nolisoli.ph

Aside from high-end boutiques and restaurants, the Makati Commercial Center (in the 70's) owned by the Ayalas, housed the QUAD Cinema (where you "date to impress") -- which pioneered four hi-tech movie theaters showing the latest Hollywood (and local) blockbusters.

Photo credit: oldmanila.org

Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, which opened in the early 70's, is the "crown jewel" of the entire Greenhills Complex (owned by the Ortigas clan). It was also the 'in' place to do your groceries (Unimart) especially imported goods, watch movies, go bowling, shop and dine. It was also where the elite long-haired hippies of that era chilled...

Photo credit: theurbanroamer.com

Who could forget Farmers Plaza (it opened in 1969) in Cubao? That iconic place along busy and busier EDSA (Quezon City) offers 60,400 square meters of prime retail space occupied by cheap merchandise outlets, which offers a wide array of shops for the pedestrians and commuting crowd...from fashion, records, food, services (laundry, watch repair, eyewear, travel), etc. I used to buy my turntable needles there as well as strings for our office guitars.

Photo credit: spot.ph

But long before these 70's structures were built...there was elitist Escolta right smack in the heart of downtown Manila -- a place where well-off families shopped and dined in the 60's.

Present Day Malls

 "Everyone's gone to the malls" is an understatement considering that Filipinos -- rich or poor -- congregate there, especially during sales, extended weekends and paydays. Families used to while away their time in parks. Not anymore. They've been replaced by the malls as the No. 1 family weekend destination. It is already embedded in our popular culture all these malling years...

If only we can bring back time and instead of building these malls in busy highways or major thoroughfares, we should have built them in open spaces to avoid perennial traffic, far away from heavily populated areas, in the first place. But then again..these shrewd businessmen know their game all too well. Their ROI (return of investment) will be in jeopardy. But as Carole King sings: "It's too late, baby/It's too late, now darling"...

🐭Meanwhile, see you at the mall!