MANILA, Philippines - The beauty of collecting heirloom and antique pieces is that they bring memories of a picturesque past and a cherished relationship to the collector.
Those who love to collect pieces that tell of a glorious past will find a haven at the Buyco Heirlooms, Antiques and Arts & Crafts, antique row’s best-kept secret, which recently opened on Kamagong cor. Banuyo streets in San Antonio Village, Makati. No less than the busy and immensely popular Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay graced the event, where he happily announced that he has moved his office from PICC to the renovated Coconut Palace.
The VP’s gracious lady Dr. Elenita Binay and son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay did the ribbon-cutting honors, assisted by owners Gedeon Buyco and his mother, Florentina Velez-Lucasan. The blessing of the store was officiated by Fr. Felix Vasquin. Cocktails were served by renowned chef Billy King at a white tent set outside the showroom.
The store is an updated reboot of the Buycos’ former Memorabilia Arts & Crafts, which occupied nearly the entire third floor of the Atrium building on Makati Avenue from the early ‘80s till 1998. The new Buyco store in Makati occupies a two-storey building with a total area of 650 sq. m. The ground floor houses big-ticket items like tables, armoires, chests and opium beds and Gedeon’s extensive collection of blue-and-white jars. The second floor gallery displays accent pieces like Nepalese masks, serving trays, birdcages, chandeliers and grandfather clocks. Talking points are a bronze Buddha with silver inlay and a 150-year-old Chinese desk side by side a set of Ming Dynasty water jars that took Gedeon two years to complete.
The Buycos, originally from Negros Occidental, started the business in their native Bacolod in 1959 with Gedeon’s aunt Elena Lucasan-Ortaliz. The latter ran a jewelry store that made available flawless diamonds, as well as furniture pieces with semi-precious stone inlays and rare Ching Dynasty porcelain jars to affluent Negrense sugar barons.
(Buyco Heirlooms, Antiques and Arts & Crafts is located at 9047 Kamagong cor. Banuyo Streets, San Antonio Village, Makati. For inquiries, call 02-403-3021.)