For Pynky Gomez Magsino, being a homemaker is top priority. That is why she has decided to keep the PNKY Collection, where she sells furniture and home accessories, what she calls a “backyard business.”

Magsino started her business in 1979. She would go all over Northern Luzon and the Visayas to look for antiques, furniture and other home accessories that she could sell. She opened her first branch of PNKY Collection in Baguio in the same year. Her specialties are exotic pieces that are made of recycled materials and garden furniture made of different types of solid wood.

PNKY: The woman and her work

She started out with P150,000 in capital and managed the business until 1984. In 1985, the Magsinos decided to try their luck in the United States forcing her to close the shop.

It took the deadly Baguio earthquake in 1990 for her family to return to the country. She lost a sister when the Hyatt Hotel in Baguio crumbled. Because of that incident, Magsino’s mother asked her family to return so that they could be close to each other.

It was difficult for Magsino to restart her furniture and home accessories business because she had lost touch with her suppliers and the trends in the industry. But she couldn’t turn her back on the business because she really enjoyed looking for antiques. She made a personal loan of P1 million from her mother. In 1996, PNKY Collection was reopened in Baguio. And aside from sourcing out products for her business, she ventured into designing her own pieces.

“The ideas for my designs usually sprout from the things that I need but cannot find anywhere,” Magsino said. “I get challenged by things that I cannot find so I have already come up with designs for magazine bags, tissue box holders and waste paper baskets.”

Without any background in drawing, Magsino relies heavily on craftsmen in the execution of her designs. “The outcomes have been very good and this is also my way of keeping their craft alive.”

The cost of coming up with her own design, however, is relatively higher because she does not have her own factory to produce the designs. But while it is more expensive, she ascertained that customers get their money’s worth for these are one-of-a kind pieces.

PNKY Collection grew beyond Magsino’s expectations. In February 2001, she opened her first Manila-based shop in Malate. The shop was a hit. It would at times stay open until 12 midnight to accommodate customers.

A few months after, Magsino was offered a space in Glorietta. She decided to get a small space to keep her overhead costs down. It was here where her customers could take a look at her small items and make appointments to meet with her in her Mandaluyong showroom – her own home.

What customers like about PNKY Collection is the personal service Magsino extends to them. “Most of my customers are very satisfied with the items I sell to them because I personally look out for their needs,” she said. “The products may be on the high end but I can guarantee the quality and the craftsmanship.”

Magsino is focused on selling the items in her inventory instead of buying any new pieces for now. She is also in the process of finding ways to reach out to more people, especially these days. “Not too many people are buying my products because times are hard,” she said. “Because of this, I have to find ways to attract these people to part with their money.”

A hobby gone profitable – the PNKY Collection story inspires entrepreneurs to pursue what they love doing, and just let the financial returns flow in time.