so tasty inside out, EVEN without the sauce!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
SM North Edsa: Tatang’s edifice of ambition - (Kipp's Mention)
12/18/2010
At a time when a political uprising and consequent economic instability threatened the country, one man dared to put into fruition his ambition born out of his vision of a convergent place booming with commerce and industry similar to the shopping center development in the United States.
Critics said he was crazy. Seasoned businessmen said it was impractical with interest rates as high as 45 percent. And naysayers were shaking their heads as he was hellbent on building in what was then considered “the middle of nowhere.”
But on he went and built his dream.
In November 1985, Henry “Tatang” Sy Sr., together with his children, opened his first shopping mall, SM North Edsa, in a 125,000-sq. m. lot along the intersections of North Ave. and Edsa in Quezon City. Throngs of people had their fill of dimsum delights at Hen Lin; tried out trendy outfits in Bench, Cabrelli, Alixandre, Vida Doria and Cinderella; had their hair permed, teased and cut at Ricky Reyes; tried out the latest foot craze at Manel’s and My Shoe Rack; bought the latest sports apparel at Chris Sports and Sportshouse; giggled with delight at the little somethings at Papemelroti; got dazzled by the timepieces at Royal Time Emporium and marveled at yards and yards of linens and fabrics at Fabric Warehouse.
Tatang’s edifice was naught without vision. Despite the flurry of political shambles heightened with the February 1986 Edsa Revolution that ushered in a new breed of politicians who toppled down a tyranny that ruled for more than a decade, SM North Edsa grew stronger and added stores after stores that continued patronage from the public given the time’s circumstances.
More delights lured people to SM North Edsa after just a year such as favorite fast food giants Jollibee and McDonald’s, as well as Kipp’s Chicken, Flaming Hot, Goldilocks and Pizza Hut. Shoe addicts had another reason to jump to their feet as Ohrelle, Le Donne, Milani and Mendrez opened shop. Women continued to troop to SM as Karimadon, Karat Gold and Golden Lady opened.
Not to be left behind, shops that would capture male interest also opened such as Our Tribe, Yamaha, Lucky Jay, Toby’s Multi-Time Emporium, Automatic Center and Hahn. People trooped to Great Image and Columbia Photo to have their photos done then found the coolest frames for their pictures at Frameplus. Movie buffs definitely had their fill of the latest Hollywood flicks via Video City and Odyssey, while bookworms immersed themselves in shelves after shelves of classics, fiction and non-fiction items at National Book Store.
Fast forward to 2010, 25 years later: Disbelievers could learn a thing or two from the edifice man as his brainchild went on to become a cultural symbol, a way of life for most Filipinos. Henry Sy Sr. built not just a gigantic 425,000-sq.m. structure that now houses more than 1,100 shops and can fit six units of Airbus A380, but a visionary edifice that epitomizes the Filipinos’ penchant for one-stop shopping and recreational destination. He, along with the 53 pioneer tenants, sees SM North Edsa as a “city” that built their dreams.
In gratitude, Tatang and his family paid tribute to the these first 53 recently at the SMX Convention Center as a celebration of 25 years of fruitful partnerships.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)