Circle C, the neighborhood mall, comes of age

Not everyone enjoys going to the mall. The big malls can be rather intimidating. Some find these to be too busy, too crowded, or just plain too big.

What if you’re looking for a less stressful place to get your shopping done? What if you’re just looking for a specific item? What if you’re not up to traveling too far from home? Enter the neighborhood mall.

"The neighborhood mall is intended to serve the community where it is located," says Edgar G. Coronel, vice president for operations of Panorama Development Corp., the group which developed and manages Circle C, the newly-opened mall along Congressional Road in Quezon City. Coronel belongs to the enterprising family behind the successful 54-year-old garment business which carries the popular Cinderella brand name. Naturally, one of the anchor stores at Circle C is Cinderella. The department store is located on the second level of the three-storey mall.

Robinsons Supermarket at the ground floor occupies 10 percent of the mall’s 12,000-square-meter total lease area.

"The supermarket is enjoying very good sales," Coronel reports. "They are particularly proud of their fresh produce section, which offers fresh fish, meats, fruits and vegetables. There is even a salad bar for take home orders."

"Another store that has reported brisk sales since we opened in May this year is Abenson’s, particularly in their home furnishings," Coronel adds. "The popularity of lifestyle and home improvement TV programs has influenced this trend and popularity of store-bought home furnishings."

The food outlets, such as Chubbies Grillers, Mr. Dimsum Express, Mister Donut, Chowking, Shakey’s, Mocha Coffee, Prospero’s Shawarma, Goldilocks and Fressan Bakeshop, occupy 20 percent of the total leased areas at Circle C mall.

Another 30 percent are occupied by specialty and general merchandise stores, such as the Itti and Caterpillar shoe stores, Creative Concepts and Page which sell men’s and ladies apparel, and Isanti Boutique, among others. An open tiangge-type selling area occupies 300 square meters on the second level. There’s also the P100 Everyday store.

Looking for construction tools? There’s Hardware Exchange. Books? There’s Questar Bookstore. For hair accessories, there’s Marcella. A Ricky Reyes salon is on the second level, as well as Let’s Face It and Going Straight hair salon. There’s Acebedo Optical, as well as AMG dental clinic. There’s a photography studio and a photo processing store, as well as a couple of stores selling cell phones and accessories. And for imported baby products, there’s Hello Kitty.

"By the first quarter of next year, we will have three cinemas on the third level," says Coronel.

Soon, there will also be an amusement center and even an Internet café.

For a compact mall, Circle C has just about everything you might look for in a mall, minus the aggravation.

"We offer an alternative to the hustle and bustle of a big mall," Coronel remarks.

There is free parking in the basement with 230 slots. The mall also complies with the "No Smoking" ordinance in Quezon City.

"Most of our customers come from the subdivisions, as well as the housing projects nearby such as Project 8 and Project 6," says Rosalia Ortiz, Circle C building administrator-manager. "We also get many students from the schools in the vicinity. We’re busiest on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Sunday is family day."

There’s even a 9:30 a.m. Mass every Sunday on the third level.

"We have lined up special events and activities on weekends, such as the Circle C Search for Singing Stars," Ortiz says. "We choose a winner from five contestants per week. The grand finals will be held on Nov. 17 with Troy Montero as our special guest. On Oct. 26, we will have a Happy Halloween party at Circle C. The program includes face and body painting from 12 noon to 3 p.m. An artist will paint the chosen design of the customer on any part of his or her body, using hypoallergenic and water-soluble body paint materials. For every minimum purchase of P200 from any store in Circle C, the customer can bring the receipts to the administration office to get a trick-or-treat ID card which entitles the child to receive special treats or premium items from the stores. The winner of the costume contest will be announced after the 5 p.m. show which will feature stand-up comedians Lani Host and Boyet Sanchez."

"We expect that the Circle C Halloween program on Oct. 26 will be a real treat for our customers, just like the Magic and Puppet Show which we had last Oct. 13," Coronel remarks.

Performances at the Circle C center lobby by guest artists are also lined up for the succeeding weekends in November and December, such as James Blanco and Selena Sevilla, 80 M, an all-male group from MCA Universal, Sexbomb Dancers, Angel Locsin, Leandro Muñoz and the San Sebastian Choir.

Despite the seemingly bleak and uncertain times, Coronel is optimistic about the future. The malls will continue to be a gathering place for people, each with his own needs, wants and wishes.

"Our life does not stop," Coronel declares. "Life goes on."