let’s ukay, baby
i first discovered second-hand stores early in high school. i was told that it was called ukay-ukay, like “hukay”, because you’ll have to literally dig your way into the clothes and hopefully come out with a hidden gem (or ten).
Ukay-Ukay is Visayan for “sift through” or “dig up.” Up north the term is wag-wag, “to dust off.” You find the best bargains by digging them out of a pile and dusting them off. But the imagery is vintage 80’s or earlier. The business has come a long way since then.
In the trade’s early years, ukay-ukay referred to garments shipped to the Philippines as donations from some charitable group to help refugees and calamity victims. Soon enough, overseas workers learned to collect used clothing, preferably with designer labels, before it got to the Goodwill stores, and send it to the Philippines in balikbayan boxes. Entrepreneurial friends and relatives would buy in bulk, then sell by the piece to the public.
Traders also persuaded non-government organizations to act as allies. The NGOs would obtain government permission to receive hefty quantities as donations, supposedly for distribution to needy communities, and therefore shielded from heavy tariffs on imported products. This is how the ukay-ukay vendor can sell through flea markets and tiangge at rock-bottom prices.
– “Ukay-ukay” by a man named Dr. Jaime S. Ong
i do still recall a time when you could get a fabulous item for P10-P20 (roughly 25-50 cents), but that’s quite rare nowadays. but anyway, instead of rambling on and on about it, i’d rather focus on my favorite local spots. (but for anyone who’s interested, here are some articles about the topic. they vary from ukay-ukay history, to tips, to personal opinions, and everything in between. there’s also a video to give you a better look at the awesomeness that is the baguio ukay-ukay.)
so here they are… my favorite thrifting spots in the metro. most of them are places i have most access to, so it’s very likely that there are other, more awesometastic spots out there i haven’t really discovered. (click on the pictures for the larger version, and i’ve also linked some of the items to past photos where you’ll see them being used.)
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/belle_toink/thecapriciousclub/ukay-cubao.jpg)
blue floral dress, brown belt, and two other dresses i haven’t worn yet. also, the two pairs of shoes pictured in my header came from one cubao thrift shop.(:
quiapo = LOVE. okay, i am really bad at remembering street names… but there are a couple of excellent ones in the quiapo area that are SO worth your time and exhaustion. the main road where you will find the quiapo church is lined with thrift shops, and when you walk past carriedo (i.e. from the church, going to the back area) you will find another long street with endless shops. there are still some very cheap things there, too, unlike in other thrift stores where they totally overcharge you.
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/belle_toink/thecapriciousclub/ukay-quiapo.jpg)
vintage floral dress, marc jacobs stripey dress, purple belt, and another vintage floral dress. man, i got a lot of those, eh?
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/belle_toink/thecapriciousclub/ukay-munoz.jpg)
ethnic dress, gingham uniform/dress, plaid wiggle dress.
brown high-waist skirt, purple jacket/capelet, plaid skirt.
other spots. i’ve been to these places before but cannot really visit them regularly. but if you’re near any of them, lucky you! there’s bambang (which, they say, was where it all began in manila), monumento area (near the lrt station), mrt taft station area, along edsa in front of robinson’s galleria, edsa corner quezon ave., and of course, good old session road in baguio city. oh what i would give to go there one of these days.. i bet the weather’s just lovely! perfect for thrifting and haggling in ilocano!
if there are still some things i failed to include (which i’m pretty sure i did; i am writing this half-asleep), feel free to ask any additional question/s you may have. ciao!
July 24, 2008 at 1:00 am
ahh i wish i could go to the philippines sometime soon. granted, i don`t enjoy heat, smog or insects, but…i`d do it for the shopping! somebody should just pack me into a balikbayan box [it should be big enough for me ahaha] & ship me home…
July 24, 2008 at 1:45 am
Oh man, I want to go to these places SO bad now! That MJ stripey dress is a dream.
July 24, 2008 at 2:06 am
wow! i love digging around clothes… my fav past time. I can’t wait to visit the home land. Could you believe I’ve never been?! I know, it’s horrible! I hope to visit sometime next year.. I totally know about the balikbayan boxes! My mom used to always send our stuff over there… have fun with your new stuff…
July 24, 2008 at 2:26 am
oh my gosh, I wished there were a secondhand shop like this in my town!!
July 24, 2008 at 2:12 pm
i want the black wedge shoes! those are lovely! ah i really really must go visit ukays soon. i really must find time.
July 25, 2008 at 2:56 am
Gorgeous finds. Love it all, actually. ^_^
July 25, 2008 at 10:30 am
yey, thanks! sana nga lang you could give the store names, hehehe!
July 25, 2008 at 9:16 pm
All those things are real eye candies!!! So beautiful…I wish we have this kind od stores here too!
July 26, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I love your thrift finds! 🙂
July 27, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Man! It sure helps if stylish people donate their clothes in the first place! I’d love to visit and check these pleaces out! you have the best luck… I’m convinced that those strappy pink shoes are one of the best finds of our time. 😉
On another note, I used to work for a vintage wholesaler, and they would actually go thrifting overseas and then ship the clothes to the US in boxes marked “Rags” so as to bypass tarriffs.
August 3, 2008 at 4:49 am
i’ve been dying to go ukay! haven’t gone in ages! question when you buy shoes from ukay do you have them washed pa? 🙂 how?
August 7, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Hi!
I just came upon your blog when i was looking for good ukay-ukay places.
Can you give me directions on how to go to munoz? Thanks!
August 31, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I live near Munoz but I’ve never actually paid attention to the stores there! Are you talking about those the stores along Roosevelt? Or those along Edsa? Or…hmmm…where? 😀 Haha.
August 31, 2008 at 6:17 pm
anonymous: both! along roosevelt and EDSA. haha. although, the ones along EDSA are actually closing down now.. but there are still new ones popping up along rossevelt! try checking them out — uber fun.:D