Former corporate exec finds fulfillment in curtains
WEAVERS from Marinduque have a natural talent for producing different kinds of fabric using indigenous materials. Photos by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas
Rebecca Leng-Ay discovered her interest in curtains by accident. While still working in the corporate world, she ordered expensive roman shades (then around P5,000 per panel) that turned out defective and subsequently fell off after installation. She eventually got her sewer to help re-do the whole project, first by doing research in Divisoria and after trial and error, they managed to complete the guest room. At some point, someone inquired if she could do curtains. The lady has gone a long way – she has adorned many new homes that include celebrity and architect clients.
The main office is located in Project 7, Quezon City. Her show room known as “Antillan” (according to Rebecca, it’s a Filipino word that means “house of fine artistry”) is located at the country market of Paseo de Sta. Rosa in Laguna. Her logic for sitting next to the palengke seems well thought out. She explains that the ordinary housewife probably goes to the market around twice a week. “When she comes to the market, she may only have money for food and staples. But she drops by before going to the car, sits around and enjoys the ambiance.” They offer the smaller items like the bayong also to promote green living. Eventually, they hope to develop a relationship with the ordinary housewife and come December, when the housewife may have more extra money, she will remember to have her curtains made by Antillan.
Rebecca was no ordinary corporate executive. Before the controversial RJR Nabisco buyout, she was the General Manager of the Philippine branch. She also became Philippine Regional Director of Mattel Asia. A series of work-related events led her to eventually give up the corporate world and go full-time with her weekend avocation. “I had a good severance pay but I didn’t use it,” says Rebecca about how she started as an entrepreneur. She kept her savings intact and started small with her curtain business. Apart from the store rent and labor cost, Rebecca started with only P75,000 inventory.
REBECCA Leng-ay started her business small. Photos by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas
“I was so scared about paying my bills. Now that you don’t have fixed income, what can you do?” Rebecca recalls how she had to find creative ways to earn money. “Most of the time, you don’t have the answers.” Among the products she created included an 18-inch by 65-inch curtain made of cheesecloth and adorned with leaves plus small branches that sold for P150. Her artwork hooked on bamboo worked as a temporary curtain for many homes. She didn’t sell too high because at that time, she was more concerned about meeting her cash flow requirements.
Rebecca also discovered the beauty of local materials such as “sumak” that is sold abroad for roughly $100 per meter. Since she was eyeing the local market, she kept thinking how such indigenous materials could be developed without being too expensive for Filipinos. Thus, started her supplier relationship with a group of weavers from Marinduque where the buntal rib is abundant in the area. She cites that the woven fabric is very good because it is soft and bendable, follows folds, durable, can be colored, and can be washed. “I kept it the way they do it. By itself, it is already good.” At the present time, she also has a partnership with a local trader of natural materials where she transforms their weaves into window shades.
Rebecca runs the business with the assistance of her husband who takes care of technical aspects such as installation. Some people wonder if she ever gets tired with the weekly commute from Quezon City to Laguna where it all began. Apparently, for this woman, many things become possible with simple determination.
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