Ukay-Ukay, the Town's Thrift Shop

Have you ever wondered why there are a lot of people who lingered inside ukay-ukay stores? Or have you actually entered one? Well, here in Bulihan, ukay- ukay is one of the booming business that supports the local trade and commerce.

As you enter Bulihan, you can literally see stores of Ukay- ukay lined along the highway offering a shopping spree for every residents who are looking for affordable finds from hats to shoes, bags to different accessories, for both male and female.

We met Aling Mely, JMC Thrift Shop ukay-ukay store owner along our trip. She said that her supplier brought the cheap finds to her on irregular basis, but to her, these are more than just some bactera-infested imports. For more than eight years, her business had help her support her family and her children's studies. She already had two Computer Science gradutes and another Industrial Engineer daughter from Polytechnic Unversity of the Philippines on the way, who she expected to graduate next year.

For some, Ukay-ukays are just a quick way to find affordable original and signature stuffs, but for people like Aling Mely, this is their way to endure the day-to-day challenge of expenses. New arrivals are more that new sets to display on racks but another set they could use to survive.