5 Historical Spots for Shopping in Manila You Need to Know About

It may not look as glamorous now as today’s business districts, but Escolta in Manila was once the center of business and retail in the country. Tracing its origins as early as the Spanish colonial era, Escolta became a premier commercial district when American businessmen started opening various shopping establishments in the area during the first part of the 20th century. Early players in the scene were Beck’s and Heacock’s Department Store which sold various imported products ranging from radios, typewriters to jewellery, and fashion items while Crystal Arcade and La Estrella del Norte became game-changers by being, respectively, the first shopping mall in Manila and the first retailer to sell a bicycle, automobile, phonograph, and a moving picture machine. Most of the shopping establishments in Escolta have managed to thrive through the years until the place’s decline in the 1960s.

Not far from Escolta is Binondo which was the locals’ alternative for the upscale department stores found in the former. Distinguished as a hub of Chinese merchants which eventually turned the place into Chinatown, Binondo is considered the oldest in the world and the original business district of Manila, dating its commercial activities as early as the pre-colonial period. Vendors here sold affordable products ranging from fashion to grocery items sourced from mainland China until merchants transferred to nearby Divisoria. Today, Binondo is known for jewelries, lucky charms, and the authentic Chinese dishes served in the restaurants found in it.

Divisoria barely needs an introduction but it is worthy to note that this well-known place has interesting origins. Located northwest of Manila’s Chinatown, Divisoria emerged as a shopping district due to the Spanish government’s prohibition of non-Christian Chinese traders from settling in the walls of Intramuros. These foreign merchants were forced to trade their products in the district of Binondo until commerce gradually flourished in the nearby Divisoria with the opening of the national railway’s former Tutuban Central Station. Through this development, the place became an important market of produce coming from various provinces which launched Divisoria’s popularity.

Read: Revisiting an All-Time Favorite: Early Christmas Shopping in Divisoria

Another alternative to the luxurious department stores found in the street of Escolta is the stretch of Avenida Rizal, mostly known as Rizal Avenue today. A main thoroughfare which was considered as the EDSA of the pre and post-World War II, this 6.5-kilometer road used to be a bustling commercial district dotted with movie theaters, stores, and dining spots. At the corner of Avenida and Bustos Streets stood Good Earth Emporium, a department store which featured the first escalators in the country. C.O.D. Department Store was also found in the place before eventually transferring to its well-known home in Cubao. Avenida’s decline started in the 1980s when LRT Line 1 was constructed, literally casting darkness on the road and causing the place to lose its glamor.

Completing the retail scene in downtown Manila is the district of Quiapo which was once known as the country’s center of commerce. Dating its origins as early as the Spanish regime, this well-known place attributes its popularity with the miraculous statue of the Black Nazarene which is housed in Quiapo Church. The latter paved way for businessmen to successfully operate shopping and entertainment establishments in the area which mainly attracted the social elites. However, sharing the same fate with Avenida Rizal, Quiapo’s decline started in the 80s when LRT Line 1 was constructed. Nevertheless, commerce is still alive in the area up to this day with the existence of different stores found in Lacson Underpass, bridge of Quiapo, Carriedo, and Plaza Miranda.

Read: Quiapo: Your All-time Giveaway Shopping Destination

Long before the emergence of today’s big supermarkets, Filipinos and Americans staying in the city had the pleasure of enjoying foods from the US, Europe, and Australia without leaving the country through Acme Super Market. Established in the late 1940s, this grocery found between the streets of Mabini and M.H. del Pilar in Ermita, Manila was the go-to place of people looking for imported goods such as chocolates, gums, potato chips, and comics. Due to its success, Acme later on opened another branch in the upscale residential area of Forbes Park to cater to the people living in the place. However, both of these two branches ceased their operations when bigger supermarkets emerged during the latter part of the 20th century.

Check out our list of stores in Metro Manila where you can buy imported goods or browse the Specialty Goods category of the ShoppersGuide Directory.

A combination of the Spanish and American influences is the best description one can use to describe the retail scene in Manila before the dominance of SM malls. They are evidently different from the big shopping malls we know today, but are still relatively important to the culture which the people have developed through the years.