What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 7pm Tuesday 9am - 7pm Wednesday 9am - 7pm Thursday 9am - 7pm Friday 9am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 7pm Sunday 9am - 7pm

The Handmade Business Story

Home
Philippines
Cainta
The Handmade Business Story

The Handmade Business Story promotes handmade business products and livelihood communities in the Philippines.

As a product developer/designer, I had witnessed how good designs can transform the lives of the craftsmakers, specially the marginalized.

02/03/2026

I was brushing my teeth when my eyes fell on these 3 on the lavatory.

3 different products, 3 different highlights.

This is a simple example of what 𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙮 means in graphic design layout.

When designing the layout for your label, you decide which of all the information is the most important - name ba ng product, yung features nya ba, o yung benefits na nakukuha; then you highlight that either by manipulating the scale or size or color or typography (font) na gamit.

During workshops, this is how I explain it to simplify how to recognize it:

“ Which of the elements grab your attention the most?”

It is usually the biggest font, the loudest color and has the biggest negative space around it.

👀 In your branding for your product layouts, which information matters most to you?

03/02/2026

Binili ko yung mas “mahal” na piña.

✅ Kasi it saved me from peeling it off myself- saved sa effort at sa oras ko.

✅ Saved from possibly hurting myself with its thorny and sharp skin.

✅ Saved me the water and dishwashing soap I would use for the knife and the plate/chopping board.

✅ Saved me the time I would spend washing the knife and plate.

In reality, I didn’t just bought the pineapple, I bought convenience. 🙂⏳✨

👉🏻 Translate this with your own businesses and be able to charge more. 😎

👉🏻 Follow this page for more insights and stories, business-related and not. 🙂

21/01/2026

In the proliferation of A.I. across aspects of our lives and work, there’s still that magic sauce that informs you that what you’re looking at is authentic- hindi A.I.

Going through my gallery today, brought me to my work videos with our sister Badjaos in Bgy. Marang-Marang in Isabela City in Basilan in 2024(?). In every clip, authenticity is felt. I realized too that there’s nothing like immersing oneself with the community and conversing with them like we’re old friends catching up to better know and understand them. Walang hierarchical positioning- dahil while I was teaching them something, I was also learning from them. Like what? ✅ For starters, the modules beautifully and painstakingly prepared by Ms. Motch of The Asia Foundation make great pamaypay for starting the grill fire. 😆😁😱 ✅ The women of Marang-Marang Women's Association prefer working together- in their words, “…parang nag bonfire lang sila”.😁 Indeed, there was a sense of community, responsibility, and order. Wherever I turn my head inside the kubo kitchen, every member was working without chaos. Alam na ng bawat isa ang role nila. And all peppered with lighthearted smiles.No wonder, this group had already garnered several awards from different bodies. ( I believe PESO Public Employment Service Office Isabela City City Government of Isabela de Basilan and Accelerate Women PH helped them a lot.)🏆😎🎉 ✅ I also learned that there’s a superstition attached to grilling the clams that is why traditional cooking didn’t include preparing them by fire. ✅ Meron ding gender yung shells- male and female, and that you can tell by the presence of a dark ballooning thing while you’re grilling them. ✨Don’t you think there’s better appreciation of their livelihoods if you know the backstories? 😏🧕🏻💜

👉🏻Follow this page for more backstories behind every business, big or small!

13/01/2026

Why visual branding ( yes visual, kasi meron ding branding that’s not visible but that’s for another post🙂) is crucial for your business?😏

✅ ‘Coz that’s the first touch-point for your product.

Impression by the customer is formed right away with what they see- kahit hindi pa nahahawakan, naaamoy o nalalasahan o nagagamit yung produkto.

✅ Decision is quick in the minds of the customers if they are willing to shell out money based on the judgment they already made up -

“Ang ganda, mukhang yayamanin!”

- That declaration already indicates the willingness to pay for more.

“Ang chaka!” or “Pang Divi ang peg!”

- Above statements on the other hand indicate of how much only buyers believe the worth of the merchandise.

Kahit pa mahal ang ginastos sa labor and materials, if the impression based on visuals says so, unfortunately. ☹️😞😕

What’s the lesson with this?

👉🏻 Packaging matters, as much as the quality of what is inside.

* Images below were from my market exploration in the malls. They made me stop and look longer. 😁

Ang ganda!!!!💜💕❤️😍😱

😏 How do you package your products?

Will they make people stop on their tracks? 😏

👉🏻 Show a photo of your packaging below, and you might just win a free branding consultation! 😊

** Promo is until January 31 only! 🙂✨💞

06/01/2026

✨ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺, 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 & 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ✨

There isn’t one color of the year!
( Kahit sila, di magkasundo. 😁😆🎨)

Trend authorities from Pantone to WGSN are shaping a color narrative for 2026 that’s all about clarity, comfort, depth, and forward-thinking creativity. From:

🎨 Cloud Dancer : serene, airy white that invites peace and fresh beginnings;

🟤 Universal Khaki : warm, dependable neutral for timeless style;

⚫ Silhouette : rich, grounded depth with subtle sophistication;

🌊 Transformative Teal : bold blue-green for resilience, renewal, and ecological connection.

For makers and creators like you, these hues are more than trends, they’re tools to shape brand identity, product visuals, and meaningful experiences in 2026.

Whether you’re launching a new collection, refreshing your brand palette, or styling product photos, let these color signals guide your creative vision. 🎨

👉 Tell us: Which color speaks to your brand story most- calm white, cozy earth tones, rich depth, or transformative teal?

Comment below! 👇

🔗 Create with intentional color in 2026.

05/01/2026

Happy to serve! 😁

What was I doing here?

Nag ka-calligraphy sa supot.

Chos. 😁

👉🏻 I was showing what branding was kahit wala pang budget for a customized packaging bag.

👉🏻 Kahit handwritten, I placed the the name of of Moro Women Business Marketing Cooperative on a brown paper bag.

🧕🏻 It was an opportunity for the buyer to return to the seller and buy again if you leave a name and a way for them to get in touch.

Malay natin, this 2026 ay may sariling customized packaging bag na sila that’s as colorful as the journey and stories of the Moro women of League of Moro Women Organization Inc.-LMWOI. 😏

👉🏻 Follow this page to get more kwento of the small, startup, Pinoy business owners.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DWuUzM1yW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

25/12/2025

Heya! How was your Christmas Day? 😃

👉🏻 Care to share insights about this year’s celebration?😏

# Christmas2025

12/12/2025

I wonder who thought that this was a good signage design? 🧐🤓👓

10/11/2025

I recently rejected 150 pieces of items.

I had to do it.

When I order for stuff to be made, I always give downpayment.

When they ask for extension on deadlines, I am reasonable and flexible with it.

I don’t haggle much because I appreciate the labor put into creating a product that represents my vision. Occasionally, I even pay more when I feel the price is too low.

When first try doesn’t get it right with the prototype, I still pay.

In this case, they had done the same product for more than 1,000x times.

☹️ The loose and excess threads were not acceptable.

☹️ When they used dirty strings because that’s what they had been using daw before, I said NO.

I put my foot down.

Even if I had to spend again and add to the cost of goods, I had them replaced.

Supporting livelihoods is not about accepting whatever they produce.

A huge chunk of building one is training them to practice executing what a good product looks like- however simple it may be.

Like a simple supot.

✅ Skwalado

✅ Malinis

✅ Planchado

✅ Packaged well and with care 💜

Yung tipong ikaw mismo ay gusto mong bilhin yung gawa mo. 🙂✨🛒

Question: Ilang beses kang bumili ng item dahil sa awa at hindi dahil sa ganda? 🤔

18/10/2025

Ako lang ba ang ganito? ☹️

Hindi ako makapag-simula ng trabaho (WFH) hangga’t hindi ako naglilinis at makitang maayos ang bahay.
I can’t concentrate on my work when I see mess.

27/09/2025

Hindi laging bad si “nega”.

I meant sa graphic design.

Yung NEGATIVE SPACE.

Yung parte ng canvas na walang laman- design elements man or text.

Minsan, kailangan paliitin ang subject at palakihin ang negative space to emphasize the point.

Less clutter.

Less noise, the greater the impact.

Yung parang taong nagsalita ng mahina pero ang diin ng bigkas at tipong mapapatigil ka to pay attention.

That’s what NEGATIVE SPACE does in design- it clears the room and leaves that one significant message to speak the loudest.

Without screaming. 😱

16/09/2025

I had been thinking long and hard if I should talk about the latest issues on corruption that fill the airwaves and various media platforms. This page after all is all about handmade business- crafts, designing and creating and building a business from the work of hands.

Bumigay din ako.

I couldn’t help myself.

When one works in the development sector, one is hard put to answer the what-ifs that pop up when staggering amount in trillions of pesos lost in corruption do invade one’s head.

I had forgotten how many digits a trillion has and I had to google it pa.

According to Greenpeace Philippines, Php 1.089 TRILLION of “climate-tagged expenditure” by the government got lost to corruption since 2023. Wala pa dyan yung sa previous years.

A few months back, I was teaching digital marketing to micro business owners in the BARMM areas in Mindanao.

My worries of not being understood either because of the literacy level or the language barrier or the interest in the subject were all wiped out by far bigger obstacles:

Hindi lahat ay may smartphones kahit na no-brand.

Wala ding signal.

Madalas mag brownout.

Yung ibang matyaga, bumabyahe pa sa bayan at tumatambay kung saan may signal to do their online marketing.

Many kids had also stopped going to school and were forced to eke out a living to help the families.

Psyche and self-confidence were low because that’s what lack of education and poverty does to people who have less in life.

So I tried computing the Php 1.089 trillion in 3 years- how much per year were lost to corruption.

Na-windang ang calculator at binigyan ako ng sagot in exponential form dahil hindi magkasya ang zeros sa calculator! 😵‍💫🥴😵

( Akala ko ako lang ang nahihilo sa math…😁).

So in the last 2 years and this year, Php 363 BILLION per year ang nawala and this amount only accounts certain climate-related projects.

Dahil mahirap maarok ang ganitong halaga, I tried to put a visual representation for the magnitude of the amount.

Here goes:

P363 BILLION is equivalent to:

☑️ 330 classrooms that can fit 50 students per room

☑️ 7.2 Million of laptops for students (P50k priced laptops)

☑️ 4.5 Million Starlink internet, equipment and paid monthly fees for a year, that can be distributed in 4.5 million places and islands in the Philippines!

☑️ 181 houses at 100 sq. Meter size for Filipinos

☑️ 2.4 million decent solar panel system for far-flung provinces and places

☑️ 2.9 million sacks of premium rice at 50 kilos per sack!

☑️ Or P3,103 added to the pockets of every single Filipino for the last 3 years!

Whew!

Ang dami pang pwedeng I-compute on how this humongous amount could have served common Pinoys. 🥺

Sayang.

Sana may pag-asa pa.

Meron pa.

Basta walang bibitiw in making those accountable pay the price.

Forget about political party affiliation.

Iisang bansa tayo. 🇵🇭💜💪🏼

Address

Cainta
1900

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 7pm
Tuesday	9am - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 7pm
Thursday	9am - 7pm
Friday	9am - 7pm
Saturday	9am - 7pm
Sunday	9am - 7pm

Website

https://thehandmadebusinessstory.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Handmade Business Story posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Handmade Business Story:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Business in Cainta?

The Pinoy Handmade Business Story

We are a nation of creative people.

Everywhere you travel in the Philippines, you are bound to see craftsmen- basket weavers, handloom weavers, wood carvers, jewelry makers, die-cast artists, painters, sewers, pottery artists, embroiderers and so much more! While creative they may be, most struggle to make a sustainable livelihood. It is not uncommon to hear stories of younger generations abandoning the crafts they learned from parents and heading off to Manila or abroad to take up a job that pays well and nothing to do at all with the learned skills. This is the route to the death of a heritage art. Or the industry of handmade producers.

This page aims to help small business owners of handmade products by providing workshops, seminars, inputs and stories that inspire creative owners to a thriving business and a sustainable livelihood. Let’s start sharing.

What’s your handmade business story?