The Little Vintage Shop Opens at Spatio, Opus Mall
The Little Vintage Shop opened at Spatio in Opus Mall, Bridgetowne last September 8. It sells preloved clothes and accessories donated by women who have cleaned out their fabulous closets, and all of the earnings go to the psychological care of girls and women who have experienced sexual abuse.
The shop is a project of the Zonta Club of Makati and Environs. It started in 2023 as a pop-up at the Makati Garden Club, with Penny Lopez-Katigbak and Mel Mora Asuncion running it. Back then it was designer pieces from society donors sold at a fraction of the price. The Spatio store is its first permanent space in a mall.
What Zonta is
Zonta International is a service organization for women that started in Buffalo, New York in 1919. The name comes from a Lakota word that means honest or trustworthy. There are about 29,000 members in 62 countries, and the stated mission is building a better world for women and girls. Their programs include the Amelia Earhart Fellowship for women in aerospace, scholarships for women in business, and Zonta Says NO, a campaign against violence against women and girls.
The Makati club has run a psychological center for sexually abused girls in Muntinlupa since 1997. It has provided therapy to more than 10,000 girls. This is where the money from The Little Vintage Shop goes, specifically to the girls and women at Marillac Hills.
Penny Lopez-Katigbak explained it at the launch: "As part of Zonta International, we are a community of women working together to include, empower, and create opportunities for other women. And change can start with something as simple as cleaning your closet and donating. Promoting our shop. Volunteering your time. Or creating collaborations that turn discarded materials into something beautiful and useful. That is why upcycling and circular fashion are so important to us. We give clothes and materials a second life, and bring sustainability and social purpose full circle."
How the store works
Frannie Manotoc summed up the model in five words: collecting, curating, creating, collaborating, and contributing. "We contribute 100% of the earnings for the psychological care of girls and women who have experienced sexual abuse. So we come full circle. We give these wonderful preloved pieces here at The Little Vintage Shop a second chance and ultimately give women a chance to rebuild their lives."
Annalynn Garcia added the reason behind it. "For us, more than giving fashion a second life, there is a more important reason for our existence, and it's about recognizing that everything, and everyone, deserves a second chance. As we open our doors today, we invite you to shop with a purpose, donate with a purpose, and become part of this shared purpose. Every purchase is a story that is giving women an opportunity for a new beginning."
The people who got it here
The opening remarks were mostly a thank you to the volunteers, who were not named on purpose so nobody would be left out. Penny listed what they did instead: "If you are one of the people who donated to us, if you badgered your friend for donations, if you bombarded your Viber groups for more donations, if you made kalkal through boxes of donations, bonus points if you got allergic rhinitis from the mold, if you follow us on Instagram, if, anyway, if you're here. It's so hard to make people hatak to come, so if you're here it really means a lot. Thank you, super thank you."
The one exception was Robina Gokongwei-Pe and the Spatio team, who gave them the space. "It's a really big deal that we're here and we're super, super grateful. The team has been so warm and accommodating. Ganito pala sumali dito. It's not business-like at all. It kinda feels like family."
So yes, I highly recommend you shop at The Little Vintage Shop. Donate clothes you no longer wear, and tell your friends about it! The Little Vintage Shop is at Spatio, Opus Mall, Bridgetowne, Pasig. You can follow them on Instagram at @thelittle_vintageshop.
