Papemelroti Gift Shop and Going Artsy-Crazy

The smell of paper excites me. I like its texture, the smoothness or the roughness that go with each page. I love its color, the shades that go on and on in a rainbow that never ends. Paper compels me in a way. You know, the kind of compulsion that "fictional vampires" have the capability of. I know it sounds weird and cray but it's a hundred percent true. Blame my love for books and crafts for this addiction. Now, imagine my elation when I first stepped into Papemelroti last year all thanks to my cousin Ryche. I vowed to come back should I visit Manila again and I promised myself I'd snap photos too! And so I did. 

Papemelroti was initially called Korben Gifts when it opened shop in October 13, 1967 by the Filipino couple Corit and Benny Alejandro. Korben is actually a combination of the first syllables of their names, "Kor" and "Ben". It was a fitting term as the shop was in fact born out of their hobbies. In 1976 they decided to open a new shop in Ali Mall Cubao and even joked about naming it after their five children. Sure enough they did and the store was given a tongue twister for a name. Papemelroti thus stands for Patsy, Peggy, Meldy, Robert and Tina, the couple's five lovely children.

Apart from the thoughtful, aesthetic and creative beauty that each piece holds, what I love most about their products is the fact that they are environment friendly. They use recycled wood to make their furniture, shelves, frames, desk accessories and wall art. This type of wood are those that you see from crates used to bring in elevators or big car parts. At the same time they utilize recycled paper for their stationary, notebooks, gift wrappers and post cards! As much as I love colorful and smooth craft paper, I have always found the brown and earthen vibe of recycled paper appealing. So allow me to give you a little tour of Papemelroti. I actually visited their SM Megamall, SM City North Edsa and Ali Mall branches. Yep, I'm totally cray-cray. These photos were those I took from their SM Megamall store. Enjoy and let me know which ones caught your eye!

Papemelroti take all my money! Just kidding. I need to leave some for dessert! To be honest, my sister and I purchased a ton from the shop but the prices were low it didn't hurt our already malnourished wallets. For a thrift seeker like me, many of the products are a total bargain. I had fun looking around and being surrounded by all the arts and crafts. I was in my element!

Papemelroti has branches in Korben Place Quezon City, Ali Mall Cubao, Gateway Cubao, Sta. Lucia East, Glorietta 1 Makati, SM City North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM Centerpoint, SM San Lazaro, SM Manila, Robinson's Place Manila, SM Clark and SM Pampanga. Sadly they don't have stores in the other Philippine provinces as well as other countries but you can get your own paper fix through their distributors. You can also save yourself all the trouble by ordering through their website.

PS: The basket of goodies shown on top are my sister's. I've done a mini haul for the ones I got. Click here to read all about that!