Almost every place has an ukay-ukay store these days. Sprouting like mushrooms in Manila, Cebu, Zamboanga and many other major cities around the country. And of course, Im sure a lot would agree, the mecca of ukayfans, Baguio City!

mecca – define by webster dictionary as “ any place that many people visit or hope to visit”.

Sa totoo lang, napakarami talagang ukay-ukay store dito sa Baguio. Bakit siya naging mecca? Kase anywhere you go meron kang makikitang tindahan ng ukay2. Meron sa Canan, meron sa caliwa, meron sa canto, kaya naging mecca haha!

Nalibot ko na yata lahat ng bilihan when I worked in Baguio for 4 months last 2002. Grabe I bought so many things there. Pants, t-shirts, polo, rubber shoes, bags, jackets (ang pinakamarami kase nga malamig), pati nga stuff toy bumili ako eh hehe. Undies na lang ang kulang, pero I don’t think na aabot ako dun, uber na yun hehe.

The cool climate of Baguio City is a perfect combo with the ukay-ukay store. Kase nga kahit maghapon kang maghalukay (rummage) sa sandamakmak (abundant) na used clothing eh you still look fresh dahil nga presko ang simoy ng hangin.

Although lagi ako sa ukay-ukay there in Baguio, Im not fortunate to chance upon celebritiy ukayfans like the Eraserheads or Maverick and Ariel . Nakapag pa-kodak sana ako sa kanila. Pero magugulat ka sa mga customers, coming from all walks of life talaga. It actually becomes a tourist destination for both foreign and locals. Natawa at nagulat pa nga ako minsan dahil me mga nakasabay akong mga tourist na nakiki-halukay din haha!

Where & When to ‘Ukay’

• The cheapest and most exciting is really the one on Hilltop, behind the Baguio City Market. At 6:00 o’clock in the morning, at 12:00 noon, and finally at 6:00 o’clock in the late afternoon, hawkers will spread out the used clothing and bags by the road. These sell at about Php10.00 – Php50.00 each. A lot of office workers are able to assemble their wardrobes this way.
  

• ‘Bayanihan’ is a pretty old hotel building to the northwest of Burnham Park that has found a new lease on life as the site of  the cheapest ukay-ukay stalls. Navigating the maze of stores on different levels isn’t easy, but the prices here are much lower than those found on Session Road. Stalls here close at around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.

• “Skyworld’ used to be one of Baguio’s ‘pre-earthquake’ shopping centers with a prime location at the corner of Session Road and Calderon Street. The shops here sell the best items — and the sellers know their value — so if you are looking for premium designer brands, this is the place to go, because they are still cheaper than the ‘vintage’ offerings on Ebay. Like in Bayanihan, Stalls close by sunset.

Harrison Road and the side streets between it and Session Road have a many small shopping areas selling ukay-ukay, and what’s interesting about these shops is that they sell not only apparel but toys, sporting goods, office stuff and novelty items as well.

Via – www.gobaguio.com