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manila: shopping at cardinal ceramics.

cardinal ceramics 5
ornaments

miss gail once asked me where i find my dishes--of which you've noticed i've an abundance--so i thought i'd let you know about one of my favourite crack dens: cardinal ceramics factory store, tucked in a mostly residential neighbourhood in makati, around the corner from the national shrine of the sacred heart. more of a shop of overruns than defective/rejected pieces, it is a hidden gem for bargain ceramic, porcelain and stoneware dishes.

cardinal is a local company of fascinating origins and with an interesting history that manufactures wares for international companies like dansk, villeroy and boch, lennox, various house brands (last time i was there, i found a whole line of habitat products), and my personal favourite, restaurantware for hotels (circles at the shang commissioned some very nice pieces, and i just found some crazy random pieces for lawry's prime rib restos).

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click on each pic for details

prices are reasonable to downright cheap during sales. it's a nice place to stock up on basic whites, and they always have an abundance of various leaf patterned plates (banana is the most common, but lotus and gingko appear regularly), but they also have provincial styles (both european and asian), and unusual pieces (my neighbour covets white porcelain hanging pendant light fixtures, similar to those you can just make out here). if you are lucky, you'll catch the wares at the end of a firing run and pick up some of the more exclusive pieces. i don't know exactly what their schedule is, but a reliable source tells me i should make some time available at the end of march if i want my table settings to match those of a international "hip" boutique hotel chain's restaurants. stay tuned.

cardinal ceramics
i'm contemplating buying some of this line, what do you think?


cardinal ceramics 3
cardinal ceramics
SACAP bldg
121 dao street
san antonio village
makati
632.816.1983

19 comments:

They look so cool.. Santos..! buy them.. buy them..!!

Oooh, crack den indeed, god help me if I'm ever in Manila, I will spend a fortune there, yikes! Happy Lunar New Year, you deserve some new goodies!

Very lucky you are, indeed...I would love to get a whole new wardrobe for my food!

I like the wavy ones you've chosen, too!

hi mama b--okay :)

hi viv! you'd love it. i'll get my cousin to pack them up for you; i've bought tons, and so far everything's arrived intact (knock on/touch wood).

hi anita! i need to buy a whole new house for storage for the whole new wardrobe :)

Go for it :-) I've been stashing away Cardinal Ceramics pieces myself for about a decade now. Their stuff rocks.

Those are very nice plates (that oblongish rectangular white ones). I work down the road from Cardinal, will have to go visit soon.

Wow, thanks for this info. Gotta check this place out.

I used live in the area where they make these. Even way before Cardinal ceramics became hip friends and family would buy stuff from their shop. As for me, I now live overseas and when I do come back, I'll see if I can manage to buy some pcs. I dunno how though, mahal ang mag bayad ng excess baggage. Hehehehe.

would love to fly to phils soon and just shop
I will leave the Swiss Cheese here .. he cant stand manila at all.

thing is carrying them back here..
can they pack and arrange shipment?

hi zita! maybe you can wear some pieces as clothing when you travel ;)

hi sha! they will definitely pack things for you, but i don't know about shipping. i'll enquire next time i'm in.

do they sell unbaked ceramics that you can paint your own design on it?
do they offer services like color me mine does?
thanks

sorry, percy, nothing unbaked, all premade stuff.

hi, you might want to check out the cardinal ceramics factory outlet sale at the market! market! activity center from august 27 to 30. market! market! is lcoted at the bonifacio global city and taguig. happy shopping, thanks!

aaaauuugh! i won't be there! thanks for the information, though. i hope others read this and go!

not to worry, there are plans to have another cardinal ceramics sale at market! market! in the next few months, i'll keep you posted. thanks!

hi! We're happy to announce that there will be another Cardinal Ceramics outlet sale at the Market! Market! activity center from June 30 to July 6. We hope to see you there.

fyi....last week, i went to cardinal ceramics specifically to buy some of the plates i saw on the website. when i got there, the gate was closed but there was a security guard who informed me that the establishment went bankrupt so it is now closed. i wish they would take their website off the net if that is so.

Do outlets of cardinal ceramics still exist?

i was told there is one in quezon city, but i don't know where it is. if i find out, i'll post it here!