The women behind Pop District Bazaar (Pt. 1)

It's a power of four.

Four amazing women from 'Sex and the City' source: giphy.com

Pop District Bazaar has been handled and managed by four amazing women who made every bazaar runs successful. They offer you the best experience by being a shopper and especially being an entrepreneur. The concept Pop District Bazaar started around 2013-2014 since online businesses were popular at that time but venues were limited. There were invitations for them to join in bazaars that time but unfortunately they were only incorporated with events like concerts, raves, parties and other festival. 

These women decided to work together to help local start-ups and create an event that provides a convenient venue and shopping community to the entrepreneurs and shoppers.

With a mission to highlight local products and entrepreneurs and grow as a team---these women will definitely make Cebu flourish in many ways.

Just like any event, there is much more than meets the eye. These women can organize a bazaar that seemed effortless, entertaining and sociable. And just like any event, behind the scenes, they are the amazing, passionate and driven women who puts time, dedication and hard work just to see these tenants embracing their own brands.

Get to know about these amazing women who made Pop District Bazaar possible.

Charmaine Ong De Leon

General Manager & Finance Director

Charmaine got the idea for the business three years ago, since she was on online seller herself and enjoyed joining bazaars. She took the inspiration from bazaars in Manila and she saw that Cebu needed a bazaar like Pop District with a shopping environment to give focus to the products and sellers.

Pop District Bazaar was established on 2016 and as a fresh business, she mentioned that their main approach in promoting the bazaar is through social media that helps their tenant reach a broader audience. They are also strengthening their relationships with schools, universities and companies to promote collaborations for both the event and their event partners (sponsors and tenants).

Q: How is it collaborating with the power three from Pop District Bazaar?

A: It’s it’s great having an all girl team, we’re very pro women empowerment and it’s great working with these amazing girls for pop district bazaar. Women are very driven and organized in general and I couldn’t ask for a better team. 

Q: What is PDB's strengths and weaknesses?

A: Our strengths definitely lie on having all these connections to SMEs because they really bring and add value to the local scene/seed of entrepreneurs. Another strength would be that we know the Cebuano market but it would also be, not a weakness but a challenge, because we are known to be a “hard-to-please” market which means the team has to work harder to keep Cebuanos interested. 

Q: What are the goals of Pop District Bazaar?

A: Our ultimate goal is to get the message out there and encourage Cebuanos to get into business and provide a less intimidating platform to showcase them. 

Q: What are your expectations from Pop District Bazaar's next run (Havana Summer 2018)?

A: We’re excited for this year because we are partnering with companies who has the same goal of promoting SMEs. Havana Summer is particularly exciting because it embodies a summer event in the city with it’s fun theme, activities and other festivities and surprises for everyone!

Q: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out their business, what would it be?

A: My Number one advice is always to “just start” because if you have an idea it will remain an idea unless you do something about it. Don’t be afraid that you don’t know much about running a business or you’re not sure of what the next steps are because you will eventually learn them along the way. And never be afraid to ASK! Mentors, customers, suppliers, friends, family. Consumers are the best people that can help you mold your business.

"Hello and we hope you’d get to know what our local entrepreneurs have to offer through the grandest bazaar in the Metro! Pop District Bazaar is for everyone with fashion, Lifestyle, food and hand made items for everyone in the family. You’ll surely not go home empty handed."

Jayneil Louise Enriquez
Head of Marketing and Promotions
Head of Resource Mobilization
Creative Director

Jayneil started working with Pop District Bazaar year after it was established. What encouraged her to join is the team's dedication to let local business prosper in Cebu. Since she is also a big supporter of local culture from music, movies and products, she decided to work with Pop District Bazaars who has the same advocacy as hers.

For her, Pop District Bazaar is not just a typical bazaar that gathers SMEs together and offers them a space for leasing, it also doesn't just expect shoppers to come and go for the sake of foot traffic. Pop District Bazaar wants to help build and transform brands and community of people that are homegrown and are trying to come at par with other retailers in big markets.

Q:How is it collaborating with the other 'ates' from Pop District Bazaar?

 A: It's been really fun and worthwhile working with all of them. We all didn't start out as friends in real life except for me and Aika. And I barely knew Charm who I've only met in one of my internships back when I was in college. But right now, I could say we're all really good friends, and I've learned so much from them as well. It's funny when people say not to put all girls in one room 'cause chances are, they'll end up hating each other and tearing each other apart with all the drama, but I have to disagree. I'm really happy and "#blessed" to have worked with these other strong, resilient, and very passionate women. Our personalities and strengths are also very different from each other's, but I guess that's what makes this collaboration more fun - when there's a room for change, open-mindedness and growth. :)

Q: What is PDB's strengths and weaknesses?

 A: PDB is a relatively new business, but I could say it has really done well in branding since it started. We've encountered so many other business platforms trying to mimic our model and how we do it, and I think it speaks largely of how well it's being accepted or viewed from the outside in. It has also garnered patrons as well as loyal tenants, which for me, indicates that there's already that trust built around the brand. And back to being relatively new, there's still a very big potential for growth and new ideas coming in, which I really see as a strength.

 As for a weakness, I'd have to say the team. Not that there's anything wrong with the people in the team, but the size of the team. There's got to be room for growth in numbers as well, so managing tasks wouldn't have to be too much for one person only. But that's something we're definitely working on for this run and hopefully in the next to come. 

Q: What are the goals of Pop District Bazaar?

A: The main goal is to really see all of our previous and current tenants flourish as brands of their own - to get more people to learn about them, establish their fanbase, gain an increase in demands, and just make a name out there. But for the bazaar in itself, my personal goal for it is to no longer remain as a bazaar, but for it to develop into a convention. We all know how there're big conventions internationally such as Comic Con or Makeup Con or even Drag Con - it's a gathering and a showcase of the finest in their fields, which do not only give you a one-stop experience to shop or collect, but also to be immersed and to learn more about the businesses and other things that the attendees are most passionate about. And I dream that one day, this bazaar will grow exactly into that where people from all over the world would come to Cebu and pay good money to see the products in person. I feel that this'll also encourage local entrepreneurs to step up their game in developing innovative products whether they may be food, crafts or even clothes. That would be the dream.

Q: What are your expectations from Pop District Bazaar's next run (Havana Summer 2018)?

A: I always expect for the next runs to actually top the previous ones because there's always something different that we offer for every run. For Havana Summer, there'll be big changes in terms of the program and the talents that we're also bringing in, so that will be something to look forward to. We also have new tenants and new partners, and we're hoping that people would welcome them warmly and be excited to try out their products. And there's one more thing that they should stay tuned to but we're keeping it a surprise for now. :)

Q: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out their business, what would it be?

A: Aggressively do your research and never stop learning. By learning, I mean not just experimenting on your products and what you're selling but also expand your knowledge on branding and marketing. Today's generation is very much saturated but at the same time, similar in a sense that they get attracted to brands that do not only look pretty or "Instagrammable" but also to those that tell a story that "resonates" to them. Always find a way to communicate to them and don't be afraid to try and fail. 

"Don't be afraid to try out new things. For new customer or new shoppers, the whole culture within Pop District Bazaar is both fun and chill at the same time. Fun in a sense that it's an entirely new experience and that you may also get to discover new products or new things you might be interested in. And it's chill in a way that it isn't some big mall sale that people would rush into and aggressively fight over items that are marked down. It's an experience I can't fully describe in words unless you go and try it out yourself."

That's a power of two, yet. These women work together in building a community with one advocacy and that is to promote local scene.

Stay tune for the next inspiring and passionate stories from the women behind the Pop District Bazaar. For the more information about the Pop District Bazaar, visit us in our Facebook page, Pop District Bazaar and instragram account @popdistrictbazaar.

We hope to see you in the next run of Pop District Bazaar, this coming April 21 & 22 at the Oakridge Pavilion.