Months before we were to move in, I told hubby that we can score some great decors and ceramic plates at Dapitan Arcade. I had been searching the internet for some shabby chic decors to go with our country house theme. He grew up in Dapitan but has never been to Dapitan Arcade. Lucky for us, he still remembered the way so we found it easily. The place is similar to a tiangge, no air conditioning but haggling is welcome!
We went on a Thursday morning and we had the arcade to ourselves. A definite plus because it can get so hot inside the arcade. Parking was available just outside the stalls. Parking fee is 20 pesos.
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| Woven balls for your garden lights! |
I was really excited when we parked. I could see so many decors already! We limited our budget and I had a mental list of things to buy. First were the ceramic plates and serving dishes that we would be using for our everyday meals. I was also looking for the frames that could hold a plate since I inherited some beautiful plates from my great grandmother. We were also looking for a lamp or lighting fixture as well as a rattan basket that can serve as my daughter's toy box.
We went in, it was a bit dark, dusty and hot. But once I saw the items littered inside, I did not mind too much.
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| Iron candle holders |
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| Wooden welcome sign with a small bird house (Php 400) |
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| Buddha heads and other figurines |
Hubby and I decided to go around once and come back to the stalls where we would buy our stuff. The stalls are specialized, some sold only ceramic plates, rattan goods, iron fixtures, fake flowers or wooden kitchen stuff. We even saw a stall that sold beautiful lanterns that can be lighted electrically or with candles. At one stall, I saw a family of owls. I love owls, and the figurines were similar to the one my grandmother had so I decided to get a family of three;
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| Haggled price for three owls, Php 550. |
We also saw a small, intricate wooden rocking horse. I wanted to get it for my nephew but it costs Php 1,500!
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| Rocking horse |
I found 2 stalls that sold all ceramic-ware. I spent 1 thousand pesos in one stall and was able to buy 3 large serving plates, 1 medium plate, a huge bowl with cover that was oven safe and 2 serving bowls (no cover). Really cheap! One large plate cost me 100 pesos only. The oven safe bowl was priced at 350 pesos but I was able to haggle it 300.
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| Plate stands are also available. |
On the other stall, I bought 2 serving plates that was perfect for nachos with a cheese dipping sauce. It was round and had a small bowl in the middle. Really unique! I also got another serving dish that match the blue oven safe bowl from the other stall. This one was perfect for making pies. All 3 was worth 500 pesos. By this time, I had spent 2 thousand pesos but we still wanted to buy other stuff. We got a pink rattan toy box for my daughter at only 120 pesos, a lamp for 400 pesos (with bulb) and food cover to keep flies away from your meal (Php 100). I also found iron stands for my plates at 75 pesos each. Sturdier than the plastic or wooden ones they sell at the malls.
On our way out, hubby saw a stall that sold fake flowers. We always admired the flower decors in Kamiseta stores and saw similar flowers. We bought a small wooden flower box with 2 grass balls for a total of 250 pesos. It now holds a place in our living room (Kamiseta style of course)!
We also bought additional lavender flowers and a clear vase to put it in;
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| Lavender flowers (Php 100 per bundle) and vase (Php 150) |
Bought a small lantern too and an oil diffuser. Both for only 100 pesos each!
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| Candle lantern and oil diffuser |
So much to buy, not so much money to burn =) We hauled everything back home. It's a good thing we had a van to cram everything inside!
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| The toy box and lamp |
When we moved in, a lot of people loved our Dapitan Arcade haul. I even caught a friend fingering the fake lavender flowers to see if they were real. My favorite Dapitan loot? Definitely the owls! I even found them individual bird houses.
Dapitan Arcade is located at the corner of Kanlaon and Dapitan Streets in Quezon City.
