How This Gen Z Manages One of the Oldest Shops in Cubao Expo
Everything inside the shop might be older than John by decades, but he knows of their past by heart.
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(SPOT.ph) Ask anyone about Cubao and they’ll tell you about the past. Every generation has a little bit of something to look back and forward to in the area. For 20-year-old John Axele Tiburcio from John’s Antique Shop at Cubao Expo, the area was his childhood playground. His playmates then and now? The actual past, a.k.a memorabilia from every decade—20s, 30s, to the 70s and 80s.
Also read: All Roads Lead to Cubao: Here Are Tips for a Smart Commute in Araneta City
What is John’s Antique Shop?
John’s Antique Shop is among the line of artisanal shops in Cubao Expo, formerly known as the Marikina Shoe Expo in the early 70s. Their first-ever store was actually located around Farmer's Garden, which his grandfather built around 1989, following his retirement. They then transferred to Cubao Expo and have been occupying the space since the early 2000s. They have two spaces for their curios inside the strip, one of which John has been managing since 2016 when he was a wee little teen then. He is a third-generation owner.
When asked why Cubao Expo, John says it might be because his family saw the potential of the place. "Nakita siguro nila 'yung opportunity na balang araw maraming pupunta [sa place na 'to]."
Everything inside the shop might be older than John by decades, but he knows of their past by heart. Much to this writer’s amusement, for each object we asked about, he readily answered the year it was acquired or produced and what exactly the item was.
“Ang dami nagugulat sa akin na ang dami kong alam,” he shares with a chuckle in an interview with SPOT.ph. “Kahit hindi ko naabutan, alam ko yung mga definition ng mga bagay.” He’s also the one who puts things in their places. So yes, he knows what and where everything is.
“Dinadala na ako dito [nung six-years-old ako] and then tinuruan ako nung eight-years-old ako. So, alam ko na ang bawat galawan nila—kung ano yung dito sa tindahan. Kung paano mag-buy-and-sell and ako na din mismo ang bumibili,” he adds.
A lot of people have asked him why he chose to manage a vintage-slash-thrift shop. “Wala ‘rin naman akong gagawin sa bahay. Nag-aaral ako. Nam-maintain ko naman ‘yung pag-aaral ko and yung business.” His course also aids in handling the ropes of the job, so it’s a win-win situation.
His side job remains a secret to his friends, though. He's also a bit shy, which is why he asked not to have his pictures taken.
John’s Antique Shop was also featured in a Howie Severino documentary, where his uncle showed the journalist their extensive collection of pictures of celebrities and past beauty queens from the 1960s and earlier.
What can you see inside John’s Antique Shop?
It’s not bold or loud signs that will catch your eye as you pass by John’s Antique Shop in the area. It’s the feeling of nostalgia that will lure you in—it's your old house calling, filled with equally ancient things, each piece acquired one day and kept over the years.
The storefront will speak for itself, with the mix of everything and anything under the sun already filling the entrance space to the brim. And when we say to the brim, we mean stacks upon stacks of curiosities—from comic books, vinyl records, and menacing-looking dolls (and an innocent-looking skull), to typewriters, old phones, televisions, and radios. It’s just a glimpse of what’s stored further down back. A simple green sign the size of an envelope is your only indication that you’re walking into the right place.
Once you’re inside, you’ll be greeted by… well… more of those things. That’s the charm of it. You wouldn’t know where to look—how to even begin looking. In true thrift-slash-vintage store fashion, it’s a treasure trove. You have no idea what you’re going to bring home.
“We accept everything that has value,” he says.
And well, this is where John steps in—the same John whom the shop is named after.
“Ako ‘din nagsu-suggest sa kanila [sa mga PD a.k.a producer directors],” he says. “Ang unang tatanong ko, anong theme, anong year. Pero hindi nila masabi agad kasi sila ‘din hindi nila alam. Nagca-canvas ‘din sila. Hindi nila alam ‘yung gagawin nila.”
He shares: “Kaming dalawa ni lolo, tinatanong muna namin kung saan nila gagamitin. Anong year ng bahay, anong setting… Sa probinsya ba or sa siyudad…”
Owners of old houses and establishments are one of the main sources of the pieces inside John Antique's Shop. Others go to the store themselves to drop off the items.
You’d think that the past would not be familiar with the ways of the future, but the vintage pieces found themselves online before and during the pandemic, all thanks to John.
“[Ang] unang una kong nabenta online is ‘yung Hermes na typewriter. Baby Hermes ang tawag nila ‘don. Holy grail ng mga typewriters,” he recalls. “Kilalang writer ‘yung bumili. Si Butch Dalisay.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros has also bought some items from the shop.
Despite his youth and lighter involvement in store operations back when he was a kid, John can say that the crowd these days is different from 10 years ago. “Mga collectors, mga medyo may edad, [people from] props, PDs ‘yung pumupunta,” he says.
He shares his favorite sell, which is this 1928 typewriter with round keys. Typewriters are one of his favorite pieces to sell, as they’re rare and are very quick to move.
Aside from paintings, the most expensive ones inside John’s Antique Shop are the electronics. In a week, they will have one to three purchases. “Ang sa akin kasi—ang isang item, may katapat na buyer,” John shares. “Just be patient na lang.”
He also brought up the million-dollar question himself: Are there any haunted things inside the store?
“Actually, wala naman. Siguro guni-guni lang nila ‘yun,” John explains.
Surprisingly enough, the “creepy” dolls whose eyes always seem to follow this writer around the store sell fast. “Mas mabenta ‘yung mga bungo… mga nakakatakot… May mga buyers po ako na ganyan. Gustong-gusto nila [yung mga yun.]”
We've been told to never dwell on the past, but we will take time for a meaningful pause over at John's Antique Shop for a reminder of what once was, even just for a little while. After all, old things can gain new lives as they find their way into the arms of new people in the present, and even the future.
John's Antique Shop is located at Cubao Expo, General Romulo Street, Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City. Open from 12 noon onwards.
Also read: Ukay-Ukay Shops in Cubao: The SPOT.ph Guide
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