The store was getting a few last-minute touches as the first guests arrived Tuesday night.
In an hour, a small crowd gathered at the new Doc Martens flagship store at Two Parkade, at the Bonifacio Global City as it opened its doors. The brand was once one of those names one could hear from the Nineties as people rushed to acquire their boots, but a new generation of fans are once again stimulating demand, as its owner, Borgy Manotoc, told Coconuts Manila.
“We’re very fortunate that the BGC [administration] were kind enough to offer us this space,” Manotoc said, “We feel that it’s really because of the consumers, to be honest, and we felt that the demand seemed to be so great…that it was time to build a real flagship store.” He noted, moreover, that the store’s location and size allowed them to display the best product available.
Manotoc added, “When we have a space like this store, we could participate in many fields… We do have several events being planned, [such as] exhibits, [product] launches, maybe even album launches.”
The Doc Martens franchise here sponsored a 2012 music event at the nearby Fort Strip. That night was no different. Music fans waited to hear from bands such as Yolanda Moon, Pulso, and Up Dharma Down, and the night ended with a set by Eyedress, a local musician who has enjoyed a cult following in Europe and is now about to release his first international album.
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Up Dharma Down at the store launch
The Doc Martens flagship store, which faces one of the BGC’s newer parks, is the first of a series of stores that the local franchisee is planning to open. “Hopefully, before the end of the year, we will have a new store,” Manotoc said, “and by next year, we should be opening nationwide.”
Later this year, in line with the store’s thrust to highlight the best of the Doc Martens brand, the store will host a launch event for a new line of clothes and shoes which the brand developed together with British model/actress Agyness Deyn.
