The Most Beautiful Retail Stores in Manila

Atomic World is what happens when your parents actually let you design your room on your own terms, no matter how absurd it sounds to pair pink unicorn wallpaper with polka-dotted chairs. It’s the ultimate girly pop dress-up setting from a 90's movie, with the “The Tide Is High” and “Teenage Dirtbag” blaring, and you're the star of this shopping montage.

You won't be short on pieces to try on either; from flowy bohemian tops and heavy-duty jackets to kitschy keychains and costume jewelry, no two pieces are ever the same. Each item on the racks and shelves at Atomic World oozes with character — and how could it not? Owner Fed Pua's taste and flair emerges in the store’s selection of secondhand and vintage clothing acquired from his own travels and vintage hunts. It was the north star of his first store, It’s Vintage, and Atomic World’s secondhand and vintage pieces are still selected for their story, personality, and character.

One section of the store is dedicated to Atomic World’s own line of apparel and merchandise. While It’s Vintage was a go-to for vintage finds, Pua felt as though its original name limited what the brand could be. They’ve expanded to carry limited stocks of other Filipino brands and collaborate with them from time to time. Atomic World also now houses both secondhand items and pieces created in-house—all of which channel that badass Y2K femininity the store is known for. 

Dipped in pink with a sprinkling of unicorns, sequins, and pop-culture fixations, Atomic World is a Barbie dreamhouse for a girl in a permanent experimental phase. Smack dab in the middle is a bed with metallic silver linens and a couch made from an assortment of stuffed animals both endearing and shabby-chic in a way only well-loved plushies can be. Its vibe is not for the faint of heart, but it’s welcoming and judgment-free like the self-assured classmate who can style an ukay find as if it were a runway piece.

PATTON's branding—from their modular pieces to their industrial HQ along Makati's Jupiter Street—is anchored on versatility and utility. The space itself is inspired by modern Korean train stations that echo the brand's propensity for practicality. If the no-frills, well-travelled friend with a highly curated itinerary became a store, PATTON is what would become of them.

Exposed ceilings, steel beams, and concrete floors make up the store’s main structure, and avant-garde touches like fake grass and station seats in dressing rooms, fuzzy seats, and a PVC pipe couch add personality to the mostly gray space.

So it's no wonder that PATTON's pieces are similarly guided by a clean aesthetic without being boring. The easy-to-wear items are comfortable and uncomplicated, offering shoppers the chance to go for clothes they’ll rely on for years to come while leaving room for experimentation guided by personal habits and patterns.

It's the perfect store for certified cool cats who are effortlessly stylish even while wearing basic silhouettes. Those who love re-wearing their clothes in unique ways will relate with the brand’s philosophy. If you’re the type to love one silhouette and buy it in multiple colors, PATTON is definitely worth the visit.

Located on the same floor as PATTON, Atelier Patty Ang is the designer’s eponymous brand and couture line. Both PATTON and Atelier Patty Ang are the creative brainchild of Ang, but these sibling concepts could not be more different from each other. Atelier Patty Ang takes on a different look and approach with its dressier pieces meant for life’s major milestones and celebrations.

Atelier Patty Ang dabbles in sophistication, but it’s got a child-like wonder that seeps through its pieces and interiors. It’s very particular and refined, but it’s also open to the laidback indulgences in life—like a comfy couch, pretty flowers, and a bowl of Chocnut for you and your friends because a sweet treat in between dressing room exploits is what little girls’ dreams are made of.

Here, you can explore Ang's past collections and catalogs, and maybe even walk away with an appointment or two for a dress-fitting worthy of life's big moments. Everyday life might not warrant fancy clothes, but significant events deserve something extra special. And Atelier Patty Ang is exactly the kind of space you could picture yourself picking out that special outfit.

In Atelier Patty Ang, premium textiles and sewing techniques are used to deliver wearable works of art, and this elevated sensibility also carries over to the store’s interior, which employs deep jewel tones on curtains, plush seats, drapes and tapestries. The space boasts a dreamy, luxurious dressing room, which is big enough for a client to see how a piece looks when worn.

Nestled on the second floor of The Atrium in Makati, Purveyr Plaza is an open space for Filipino creatives to thrive and flourish. Its very existence in a brutalist edifice adds to the whole shopping experience. To visit, one must climb up escalators that once whirred to life daily during its heyday, all while natural light spills from up above, breathing life into a structure that has withstood the test of time.

If you’ve heard of the annual Purveyr Fair that happens every September, the Plaza is its more permanent showroom, housing wares from local brands like bag makers Carry Om, upcycling specialist Kael Street, and lighting enthusiasts Mold. Purveyr—and by extension, endeavors like the Purveyr Fair and Purveyr Plaza under its umbrella—prides itself in its curation of goods from brands and visionaries that are not afraid to push the envelope. The limited pieces and brands are rotated at the Plaza, so no two visits will exactly be alike.

Though each brand has its own personality, Purveyr Plaza seamlessly blends it all into an affair that has you jumping from one item to another. Staff also have plenty of stories to tell about the items, the creative process, and the brilliant minds behind the magic. When your friends ask you to recommend a hot spot, Purveryr Plaza is the place to go. It's easy to lose track of time admiring the building, and the hours will fly by with all the snazzy pieces to look at and try on.

General store Ritual can be found on the fifth floor of Karravin Studios in Makati, and is committed to helping local producers while making quality goods more accessible to shoppers in the city. It’s an intentional apothecary, encased in natural elements and textiles. Goods are stored in air-tight glass jars sitting on wooden shelves, and even its ceiling is made from woven leaves. Its built-in room fragrance is the first thing that greets you; pleasant and calming like its displays and interiors. This herby aroma is the byproduct of many local ingredients’ and supplies’ scents coming together, and it had us wishing we could bottle it up and buy it.

They’re serious about eliminating the use of plastic in store, preferring vessels like jars and metal containers that may be reused instead. Ritual's concept is simple enough: purchase only what you need. If you have no use for a kilogram of beans in a recipe for one, feel free to take only what’s necessary. Same goes for the shampoo, body soap, and various sugars and spices. Even local ingredients you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere are all conveniently sold in one place. Just bring a jar–payment is based on weight. But it doesn’t end at just paying for what you need: you also get to relax as grains, beans, and powders are decanted into bags and jars as a unique form of ASMR.

Benches line the windows of the space so you can settle down, and Ritual even offers some coffee and tea from time to time depending on what they have at that time. It’s an open invite to slow down, take only what we need, and sit back in the company of friends eager to rediscover our country’s natural resources.

Tropik Beatnik is a pocket of whimsy in a world that can sometimes take itself too seriously. Previously only available online and in select pop-ups, the local brand now has a physical store aptly called the Summer Playhouse, where it supplies nuggets of joy in small cardboard boxes decked in funky stickers your childhood self would collect by the pages.

A neon sign beckons you to enter, and then you’re greeted by splashes of color, vibrant beads strung together, and displays that will make your eyes go wide with excitement. The handmade clay jewelry borrows from familiar scenes and icons from Filipino culture, like kakanin, bahay kubo, and fish from summers spent by the river. Tropik Beatnik also fashions statement baubles featuring beads in a kaleidoscope of colors that are sure to start conversations when you wear them.

Apparel in equally fun tones and shapes are also available in the space, and trying them on feels like being in your own summer photo shoot. Even their mirrors have hand-painted borders—a unique item that has garnered the brand major love and interest in past pop-ups.

Tropik Beatnik is tucked away in a Mandaluyong neighborhood, and its seatmates in the compound are soon opening to serve those looking for coffee, bread, and goods from fellow creatives. For now, this cool retail store is open by appointment, but a visit to this mini tropical paradise will for sure be a welcome respite from all the dullness in your life.