Décor exporter finds new market—at home
It all started with a Japanese samurai doll. It was the mid-1980s and Lita Sambrano wanted to try her hand at exporting.
“Our mom has always been business-minded,” said Weenee Lagdameo. “When we were growing up, she was doing a lot on the side. She had all these side hustles that included selling costume jewelry at Shoemart [before it was rebranded as the SM Store] and baptismal gowns. But it was her Japanese dolls that really clicked with foreign buyers. Instead of first selling locally, she skipped ahead and began exporting her designs.”
Clad in flowing robes of handmade abaca paper sourced from Laguna, the dolls were a sight to behold. Sambrano didn’t take the kawaii (cute) route of Japanese dolls with the saucer eyes and tiny pursed lips. Instead, she portrayed samurai warriors in action: arms open, faces grim, robes flowing, and ready to do battle.
Lagdameo’s sister Piepet Gonzalez joined their mother’s fledgling export business, Accent Pieces, in 1989 and recalled how popular their booth was at international trade fairs.
“We would attend the trade fairs in Frankfurt twice a year and because of the high volume of inquiries and orders, we’d only get to eat lunch at 5 p.m. It was that hectic,” Gonzalez said.
Before she joined the business, Gonzalez had been living in San Francisco, California, and had a limited idea of what her mother was up to all the way in faraway Manila. What she did know was that her parents’ main line of business was laundry, both retail (Fabricare) and industrial.
“I was working at the mall in a store that imported ‘oriental’ products. I remember leafing through a catalog unaware that some of items there were designed by my mom. I only realized it years later,” she said.
Designing for big brands, stores
In 1995, Lagdameo joined her mom and sister in a creative capacity. The trio would continue to attend shows and design décor for big brands like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Harrods. “For Harrods one Christmas, we were tapped to make giant top hats that were displayed in their men’s section,” she recalled.
The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, was a tragedy and put a damper on many businesses including export. “We still had clients but things really changed after 9-11. I remember there were fewer attendees at Manila FAME. We had to choose which fairs to attend and prioritize,” Lagdameo said.
“We’ve won Katha and Golden Shell awards, and been in the business for close to 40 years. Sikat kami noon (we were popular then). We went from feeling overconfident to feeling no confidence at all,” she added.
The sisters decided to open a store in Libis but closed it after only a few years because of the low foot traffic. By then, they had renamed the business, Department 24 (www.dept24.com). “This year, we needed a place to set up our products and I knew that for the items to really be appreciated, it had to be displayed in an actual house,” Lagdameo said.
Proper display
They ended up taking over their mother’s house with her permission, decking the halls with swags and ribbon, putting up and trimming several Christmas trees, and taking over practically every available flat surface. They took photos and videos that would give clients—both existing and potential—a clearer idea of what they were capable of doing.
“Since the decorations were already up, we invited a few of our friends over while our mother invited her amigas so they could place orders if they wanted. We were surprised at how excited everyone was,” Gonzalez said. “People were as thrilled about Christmas décor as we were.”
The selling event, however, was totally different from what they were used to. Instead of 200 of one design or 500 of another, those who attended wanted one or two pieces—10 if they wanted to splurge.
“A few even asked if they could order the items in another color so we just told them it would be more expensive in order to dissuade them,” Gonzalez said, grinning.
The interest in holiday décor lifted Lagdameo’s lagging spirits. “I’m the creative one while Piepet is the one who handles the business side. As a creative, I do things because I love it. I love making things to make people happy,” she said.
Are there plans to open another physical store or a pop-up store next year? “Maybe a pop-up like we did this year, but earlier, like around August. We didn’t realize, mahal na mahal pala nila ang Pasko” (people really love Christmas),” Lagdameo said.
