Love and business do mix, as this
family-run gift shop proves. 
Talk at the lunch table
of Cafe Papemelroti in Quezon City is comfortable, familiar, relaxed. Until
five-year-old Isabel comes bustling in, showing off her pack of gummy bears and her
child's voice piping, "Mommy, look what I've got." Her bubbly prattle and
mischievous antics infect the group, drawing indulgent smiles and doting words from her
mom, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
This perfect picture of family
warmth belongs to the Alejandro family, the driving force behind the long-running and
extremely popular Papemelroti chain of gift shops. At the gathering are Benny and
Corit, and their five children, Patricia, Peggy, Meldy (Isabel's mom), Robert and Tina.
Read the first syllables of the sibling's names and they spell
"Papemelroti".
This was supposedly a formal
business appointment with the clan to trace the success of the Papemelroti corporation,
but it turned out to be anything but.
Power family... not
For one thing, the members don't look like your typical
"power family". Their most pressing concerns are whether everyone has
ordered food to their liking and playing catch-up with each other's lives. Everybody
has a hearty laugh when Isabel is caught putting a sticky red gummy in one of her aunts'
handbags.
If you expected to learn the latest
twist on Machiavellian practices from this family, or hear a litany of the 10 immutable
lawas of killing off the competition, your are bound to be disappointed.
Rather, what you'll get is
decidedly unorthodox advice from 67-year-old Mommy Corit: "Build a business where you
like what you do and where God is your guide and inspiration. Then success and money
will naturally follow."
In fact, you won't get a clear-cut
story because everybody jumps in with their own comments, observations, and recollections,
very much a close-knit family where everybody says what's on his or her mind. Says
Meldy, "We do everything as a family, and we work together in this 'business' because
we enjoy doing so and because this is not business for us but a mission."
Their objectives are manifold.
Among these, to promote Philippine handicrafts by showcasing the Filipino's design
versatility, and to increase environmental awareness through the use of recycled
materials.
Christian Living
More important, the family believes it is their duty to
uphold Christian living. Explains Patsy on the company website www.papemelroti.com , "The most important
mission we have is to inspire people to be better, to be nicer, to be kinder, to love
more, and to make each day count. That's why there's no negative humor in our stores
even if it will sell, and why we have plaques and posters about prayers, good character,
perseverance. We want more people to know about God's love and faithfulness."
Sound incredible? It works
for them.
From the small shop along Tomas
Morato in 1968, the business has grown into the Korben Corporation it is today. (As
with "Papemelroti", the name "Korben" is the combination of the first
syllables of names, this time of the Alejandro parents). It counts nine branches in
Metro Manila and one in Cebu, mostly located in malls. The tenth is the flagship
store that recently opened at the family's main offices at Korben Place along Roces Avenue
in Quezon City.
The products - crafts ranging from
stationery, furniture, and woodcarving to metal pieces, figurines, and giveaways - are
also supplied wholesale to the provinces and exported to some Asian countries. The
production site in Bulacan has a factore and an apartment for longtime workers and their
families.
The evolution from a small hobby to
a thriving enterprise is dramatic and fantastic enough to fill a book. Says Mommy
Corit, "The businss actually started on the wings of a prayer, literally. I
made a novena to the Lord to grant me my own small venture to keep me occupied."
She continues, "We had no idea
we'd grow this big! After all, who was I? A plain housewife transplanted from
Cebu after marriage and who didn't know a soul in Manila. And there was nothing
going for us. Ben and I didn't have the capital or the business acumen to pull this
thing off."
Early taste of business
But succeed they did, beyond their wildest dreams, and
amazingly, their sense of family has not changee in more than three decades of success.
The main offices in Korben Place
have a distinctly homey atmosphere. "When my children are here, we spread a
mattress on the floor where they can sleep or play," says Meldy.
And don't expect change to come any
time soon. Though aware of the business potential, they refuse to consider proposals
and opportunities if it would mean sacrificing values and beliefs.
As Patsy puts it, "Being in
business is not about making money but is more an expression of yourself - what you
believe in, what you want to share with others, who you are, your values, and your ideas.
Ideally, it should express the best of you."
Back to Top
Please sign our
Guestbook,
we'd love to hear from you!
[ Home ] [ our designers ] [ our mission ] [ news articles ] [ patsy's talk ] [ journals ]
[ Back ]
Back to top
