the last day before another first day

Our last day in the shop was remarkably unremarkable. We stayed open while we packed things away. Everything was 50% off or more. Some folks meandered in curious about the messy and sad state of affairs inside the store. We sold out most of the furnitures and big items - save for the Bulol couple who came to live with us in our house. Stuff not sold came to reside in our garage and our de facto home Sala shop next to our real sala. In a way, we came full circle, this is where we started after all. As if to tease the fates, someone actually offered to buy Sala. It was totally unexpected and we felt mixed about the whole thing but we were going to give it a go. Our kids were actually sad when they found out that Sala was going to be "owned" by other people. But happily, (we did not know this until it happened) the deal fell through. I guess, our sala story is not over yet. In fact, someone bought from our online store, and we were quite excited and hopeful about that. So in the next few months, we will be making changes to our website and the way we do business. New bags from Legaspi, Philippines are still slated to come in soon so watch out for that. Meanwhile, here are the pictures of the shop as we cleaned it out.

'tis not goodbye"

We have been thinking about it for quite sometime now. This year was exceptionally bad - what with the horrendous housing market crash and ulcer-inducing $4.00/gallon gas. In the battle between economy and inspiration - the ugly former won! So finally, over one weekend, we have decided to call it quits - for now! For practical reasons - surely not lost to everyone - we will need to close our storefront at Seafood City. HOWEVER, we will continue to exist online - the sala-imports.com will live on! Meanwhile, huge closing sale is going on everyday until we close as we hope to get most our stuff out of the door.

Two days ago, I sent the email announcing our closing (end of August this year). Some friends e-mailed right back expressing kind sentiments. We are so touched to say the least. We will definitely missed all the people we met and got to know over the years. We hope that the ties we bind are strong enough to reach us in the cyberspace. WE have not really sat down and think what we will do next - besides keeping the online store. But ideas are starting to grow in our minds that would hopefully keep Sala alive. Stay tuned for the future!

The Long and Winding Road to Products

(looking up at the northern mountain hills we have yet to cross from the Marcos Highway)

Literally, we travel far and wide to search for products to grace the shelves of our store. Not only do we look for stuff that are unique in no touristy sort of way, but also evocative of the creativity, imagination and ingenuity of the Filipinos. To cut the middle-man costs, we travel directly to the source and crafts men and women of our products.

(a fine specimen of the root of a fallen tree that will become stools, tables, and vases among other things.)

The travel is never easy. Usually, these places are in the remotest parts of the Philippines were roads are - to put it more poetically - less traversed but most rough. The people we deal with live in ramshackle houses along the roads and the good finds are tough to find beneath old dust and dirt.

(a shyly-smiling tot at one of the vendor's stall)

(a view behind one of the stalls off the highway)

Along the way, you come upon breathtaking sights and awesome people that leave you humbled and blessed.

SALA Salutes All Nanays!

Amorsolo's Ina at Anak (Mother and Child)

It has been a long time since our last post, I know, but we will not miss the chance to greet all the nanays, mama, inangs, inas, mas, moms, mommies, and nanangs, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Surely, we don't need Hallmark to remind us how important our mothers are in our lives. But nothing like an official holiday though to remind us of this truth, right? Some people send flowers, buy jewelry, take Moms to brunch, treat them to a spa, or take them places. But YOU - a salaista - would rather give your moms something totally unique. Something one can't find at Macy's. Right? Well, such unique finds are waiting for you at SALA. Take our framed Malang prints for instance. Malang is a Filipino National Artist and he celebrates womanhood beautifully in his work. We have several of his prints framed and mounted for you. So, let us help you fire up your imagination and give your mom some homegrown art and culture. Happy Mother's Day!!!

Earrings on Display.

Keeping shop does mean some work. Last weekend, I spent an afternoon cutting out stock paper, stamping them with the Sala logo, and then piercing them with holes using a safety pin. These were going to be the display holder for our earrings at the store. It was a small labor of love.

These are my favorite pair of earrings above. They are made of lightweight natural wood, polished and stained black. Along with a few assortment of acrylic and wood beads, these earrings are strung along a nickel-free blackened chain that dangle way down your neck - tres elegant!

I like these brown ones too - simple but different. The ones in the background actually has chunks of turquoise added to them - quite precious. The most amazing thing about these earrings is how lightweight they are! You can literally shake your head and flip your hair with nary an effort! Check them out at the store next time you visit.

If Only These Jars Could Talk...

Yesterday, my mom - who is watching our store these days - was stoked to let me know that she managed to sell one of our prized finds at Sala - a pair of antique banga or earthen jars. Mel found them in Batangas - where a lot of these antiquated jars reside - previously owned by an old and established family who proudly claimed that the said jars were with their family forever. The lola of the family said that they had the jars since she was a little girl and she is now fast approaching 80, so these things are truly aged.
The new lucky owners of these venerable bangas probably know that these jars could have stored drinking water for the family for years or aged fish sauce or vinegar. Whatever their uses were, these jars surely have stories to tell.

From Malong to Nursing Scrubs

Mention the word "batik" and immediately, I think of gaggle of girls doing their laundry at the river wearing nothing but tapis. The said tapis or sarong, or malong, inevitably designed with "batik" prints. Batik is in fact the term used to describe the malong or tube skirts made in Indonesia that are almost exclusively imported by the vendors in Southern Philippines. The malong or tube skirt, on the other hand, is a traditional piece of garment used by various tribes in the said part of the Philippines. Each tribe has its own unique way of weaving, decorating, and using the malong. Beyond its common use as a piece of clothing, malong is also used as blanket, baby crib, wardrobe, decoration, poncho, scarf, and head gear among others.

We have been carrying different styles of malongs at the store. To get the most authentic tribal kinds, we have travelled as far as Davao and Zamboanga. At one time or another, our store carried the traditional black and white T-boli Malong and the more colorful Maguindanao ones. But our most common Malongs are the mass-produced ones made of Batik fabric from Indonesia. These are the malongs usually worn by denizens of the Southern Philippines and elsewhere - whether for lounging, certain ceremonies, and dance.

Testing the batik's versality futher, we thought of having them made into nursing scrubs. The fabric is lightweight, cool, and colorful. What a way to wear your "colors", we thought. So there you have it, batik nursing scrub! The scrubs look every inch the traditional scrubs with V-necks, front pockets and side-slits. They are unisex and they come in all 3 sizes: small, medium and large. They come slightly large - perfect for everyone!

We Know We Could, We Know We Could

I started this blog with an ambition, or hope, that I would be blowing you all away with my dedication and prolificacy. Well, as it was, my blogging inclination turned out to be rarer than a lunar eclipse which incidentally took place last night. My dream was to regale you with whimsical details on every single product we get, art we discover, trip we take, person we meet, on anything, anything at all. But sadly, I wrote almost close to nothing on nothing. But, BUT, it is never too late, right? This year, although we are almost three months into it, I can still make good with my promise. IN fact, the FACT, that I am writing this blog entry is very encouraging, a step into a direction that I have been eyeing to take for three years now. So this year is the year. Hopefully.

Here Comes A New Year

Well, it is finally here - another new year! At Sala, we are looking at our 4th year. Cannot believe it has been that long because in most ways we still feel like a baby store. Below is how our store looked like when we first opened in February 2005. We were only sharing a space with another storefront. We did not have that much stuff yet.

Above is a most recent photo of our store. We moved 2 doors down from our very first spot after a month in 2005. The moving did not stop there however. We continue to move things around in the store every few months just to keep things looking new and exciting. We have since re-arranged the look of our store since this photo was taken.

In 2008, we are looking forward to more unique and lovely stuff to offer in our store. More books, more music cds and perhaps more fashionable things to wear. We are also hoping to finish building our website so we can expand that way. We will be getting new jewelry by February and nursing scrubs made out of Batik fabric from Zamboanga. To prepare for the arrival of the new jewelry, we will be putting our old inventory on tremendous sale. We will keep you updated as we go along with our new year. We hope that yours is looking up great as well - even after just a day.