Regalong Pambahay products make one feel right at home

By Anne dela Cruz

After working for a couple of years in a bank, Mary Ann Dela Vega decided in 1993 that it was time to help out in the family handicraft business. Most of their clients at that time were tourists, balikbayans, and the expatriate community.

But Mary Ann felt there was a bigger market out there that can be tapped. She thought of coming up with products that would attract the domestic market.

“The traditional image of handicrafts are those that can be found under the Quiapo bridge in Manila and those with traditional designs,” she said. “I wanted to come up with more contemporary designs so that I could change the mindset of Filipinos about handicrafts.”

In 1997, she and husband Romuald opened their first Regalong Pambahay outlet in SM Southmall in Las Pinas. Mary Ann said they only applied for a kiosk. “But when the SM management looked at our concept paper, they immediately liked it and gave us a shop space,” she said. “We really did not expect that, so we had to borrow additional money from our parents to open the store.”

The couple goes around the country to source products for the home. Regalong Pambahay tries its best to sell 100% locally made products as a contribution to the development of small scale industries nationwide.

“We have a very good mixture of products and we have items that suit all budgets,” Mary Ann said. Since their items are non-essentials, they make it a point to change the store’s look on a regular basis to entice their customers to frequently look at the latest designs. Regalong Pambahay’s best selling items are pottery, wrought iron items, candle holders, lamps, and throw pillows.

“You could say that we are the trend setters in this field because we try our very best to come up with something new every week,” says Aissa Pajar, Regalong Pambahay’s business development manager. “We try to come up with fresh ideas that can be seen with the kind of materials we use, and we try to mix and match them to come up with different products.”

What makes Regalong Pambahay stand out from their competition is the fact that they offer quality products at reasonable prices, giving customers a lot of value for their money. The store also strictly implements the return and exchange policy if customers complain about the quality of their products.

Starting out with just five employees, Regalong Pambahay now has 110 employees all in all.

The couple has always been hands on when it comes to running the business. Romuald is in charge of personnel, administration, and pre-opening preparations, while Mary Ann is in charge of purchasing and the creative department.

“Even if they have so many things to attend to, they still have that personal touch when it comes to running the business,” said Aissa. “All the department heads report to them.”

To date, Regalong Pambahay has nine branches which are located in SM Southmall, SM City North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM City Pampanga, SM Sucat, Glorietta 4, Balikbayan Handicrafts in Pasay Road, Makati City, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, and at the FMF Business Center in Mandaluyong – their main office.

Their future plans include going international. In fact, they have already started testing the international market with two small stores in the United States. According to Mary Ann, “If we find a business partner, we might seriously consider bringing Regalong Pambahay abroad.”
But while that is still at the brewing stage, they are bent on bringing the Regalong Pambahay trademark into as many Filipino homes in the country.

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