Last Days of Cubao X

The past few years the marikina shoe expo became a hangout of artists and and collectors , sort of like a small colony of people living in the bohemian lifestlye. A place where creativity and culture thrive and evolved. Last year I rediscovered Marikina shoe expo a.k.a. Cubao X while meeting up with a model for a shoot. I heard a few stories about it and went to check it out. I found a treasure throve of arts and collectibles. There where thrift shops and vintage shops, New age bookstores, A worldclass Italian Restaurant, a recording studio and cafe for Indie Bands, Small shops and of course the regular shoe stores where I grew up shopping for School shoes.

I remembered walking there either every december or every may before school starts shopping with my parents looking for shoes. The place really endeared to me. I was really glad to see the place evolve, from the place that displayed Filipino artistry of shoes in the 80's , during a time when local products where frowned upon, to a showcase of filipino culture and artistry now in an era of globalization where we struggle to keep those which are truly filipino.

Last weekend I went there, strolled along to see whats new... whats new was that shops where beginnning to close and even some of the old shoe shops have disappeared. Then today I was researching in the internet looking for the website of "Big Sky Mind" , instead I stumbled upon another blog saying Cubao X is closing. The rent for the shops have increased so the stores and galleries have started to close up. Well the whole cubao area have spruced up , new buildings and malls have sprung , progress has catched up and is not given cubao a much needed facelift. So I guess it is just a matter of time where the old structures get torn down or bought off to makeway for a new nicer , shinier and high tech buildings. Im hoping the place doesnt become a parking lot that would truly suck.

I like malls because they comply to a certain standard, theyre built the same way to make sure in all the malls you go they give yo the same feel. But I really hope they still leave space for places that allows new things to grow, new things that becomes new standards later on. I've seen these art and culture centers sprout out like Malate, Timog, Cubao and now most of them have become commercialized, theres this new area near Kamuning near the snackaroo steak house which looks like its slowly evolving hopefully it does. Baguio would probably be the next place to be the new cultural mecca, or maybe Angono , places far from Manila to stay clear from Progress' way, hopefully not too far though..mahal na Gas eh.