There's a new place growing in popularity south of Alabang Town Center along Daan Hari. It is the new Evia by Vista Malls.
Evia "Mall" is developing very nicely, with tasteful and upscale accents and decorations. It was built with attention to design consistency and to spaciousness, a fitting complement to the posh enclaves around it.
Evia is right in the neighborhood of the posh gated communities of Portofino South, Portofino Heights and Portofino Amore by Brittany and Vista Land, and Verdana Homes Bacoor by Alveo and Ayala Land. Evia isn't really a mall yet, as the mall structure is still under construction though well under way. But even as it is, it's popularity has grown much and has become quite a bustling small place, yet still quaint and pleasant.
It all started with this McDonald's Evia. One nice and new McD resto, stylish it must be said, standing alone amidst a huge and newly built, albeit empty driveway. That was it! But the opening of McDonald's brought delight and excitement to residents of Portofino and Verdana. "We now have our very own McDonald's!". Spanking new, fresh and contemporary inside, it displayed on the outside the characteristic "Italian country estate"and old world charm of the Portofino area.
People quickly started patronizing the McDonald's at Evia. That was still about early 2013, and I myself together with my wife would frequently meet our architect there to discuss our new house plans. Many cyclists, both road and mountain who took to Daan Hari on weekends (for touring or as a jump-off point for trail riding - I know this well as I've enjoyed doing both), also made the McDonald's and Evia parking their base for parking cars and for grabbing quick bites. Given it's relative inaccessibility and obscurity, the McDonald's Evia drew a somewhat homogenous crowd, mostly those living around the area, cycling and running enthusiasts, real estate agents for surrounding properties, and those driving by the area en route to work or houses further down Daan Hari and beyond.
Next came Rustan's Fresh Supermarket (seen at the background of the photo on the left, along with BreadTalk which opened more recently). This gave another big lift to Evia. Personally I was so proud to have this gleaming, new supermarket in the area. It reminded me of going to a Jason's supermarket or Market Place in Singapore, not least because there were so few people in it! Such pleasant supermarket shopping! When my teenage kids visited Manila last December, I just had to show them Rustan's Evia! Even today, especially on a weekday but even on week nights, there are relatively few people compared to other supermarkets. Gives you a feeling of exclusivity, so you wouldn't mind paying a bit of extra. Besides, Rustan's is known for delivering a classy shopping experience, so you expect to pay a bit of a premium.
Then came Starbucks Coffee.
The opening of Starbucks Coffee Evia was much-awaited by nearby residents. From the onset, one could see that this was going to be special. It wasn't just a corner in a mall, but a whole building itself. And with a Drive Through!
The Starbucks at Evia has a cozy feel while being big and well-appointed, and the staff are friendly. This Starbucks feels much like part of the local community. Indeed many of the Starbucks patrons here are regulars, unlike in many Starbucks' around the Metro and around the world, where you feel the people are a hodgepodge of transients and shoppers, including yourself, who just happen to be at that particular place and time. Now I'm sure it would depend on each person to feel which one is his "local" café or resto, but you have to admit that some feel homey more quickly than others. For example I get the same feeling at the Starbucks Alabang Town Center during weekdays, and at Starbucks Wheelock, Orchard Road and CBTL Forum, Orchard Road when I was based in Singapore. I hope in Starbucks Evia that the pleasant homey feel can be maintained.
In part Evia is drawing a lot of people because of open and comfortable spaces for people to hang out. There are benches in several areas, and there are many covered gazebos that are not attached to the restaurants at the sides so you don't need to buy any food and drinks to enjoy them. There are also covered walk areas. And a number of establishments are built separate as individual stores (McDonald's, Starbucks, Shakey's which recently opened) and though you see this elsewhere, here at Evia it gives me the feel of some places in the US where there are a lot of wide open spaces and walks between shops.
At the Rustan's building, there is a basement with Ace Hardware and many service shops, e.g a salon, a spa, barbershop, laundry shop, pet salon, and a cupcake and pastry shop. The mens and ladies restrooms (toilets) are worth mentioning as they are designed to give a decidedly upscale feel. And you'll see them maintained by ladies dressed as dainty chambermaids. Recent additions to Evia include a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and PowerBooks. There's also a SereniTea, a resto for meat dishes, and some popular food stalls beside the Rustan's Fresh supermarket.
Weekends, there is a trunk sale at the parking area. This means people selling all sorts of stuff, from Speculoos Cookie Butter to uncommon imported chocolates, to new and pre-loved clothes, bags and shoes, watch winders and jewelry boxes, cosmetics and fragrances, and anything else anyone might think of selling, that they can do from the back of their cars and vans.
Like this Aura In Fashion tops, dresses, pants and accessories.
It's a nice come-on, sellers just need to register and they don't pay for "store space".
And many of the sellers are young and budding entrepreneurs who themselves are from exclusive villages. So enjoy and be nice to everyone! It's a fun, open air bazaar every weekend.
There are often events, and that's another reason people started flocking to the area. So today, Evia is very popular, and a gem for people who know!
And that's even without the main mall, which is under construction. We should start to see some stores opening in a few months. I have mixed feelings with this mall. Of course the added convenience of more shops and big brands will be a benefit, but along with it will come more crowds. The challenge for Vista Malls will be to maintain the idyllic and spacious mall it had created at the start, to uphold and enhance the value of the Portofino property names (and Verdana along with it). Part of the plan of Vists Malls even includes a Venice-like gondola route with restaurants along the way, possibly linking it to Fernbrook, the popular wedding venue just at the back of Verdana. That would be an interesting development indeed.
Getting There, and Nostalgic Memories:
Writing this reminded me of how in my university days, you could drive down Ortigas Avenue from Meralco Avenue in a breeze. It was just a wide open road with few cars, so it felt quite exclusive while enroute to one of the Valle Verde subdivisions. Now, Ortigas Avenue is just jammed with traffic most of the time as it has become filled with businesses and is a common route to many destinations.
In comparison, now is a good time to drive to Evia as it is still a breeze, a quick 10-minute drive along Daan Hari from Alabang. There are few public transport vehicles, and still few establishments, so enjoy this time and lock it in your memory.
I was also reminded of the very early days of Alabang Town Center, when the McDonald's store stood as the lone point of attraction. Same as how Evia mall started. So, Thank you McDonald's for making our neighborhood more interesting!
I hope to enjoy Evia for a long time to come.
And let's all do our part for a clean and pleasant Evia Mall!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Evia "Mall" is developing very nicely, with tasteful and upscale accents and decorations. It was built with attention to design consistency and to spaciousness, a fitting complement to the posh enclaves around it.
Evia is right in the neighborhood of the posh gated communities of Portofino South, Portofino Heights and Portofino Amore by Brittany and Vista Land, and Verdana Homes Bacoor by Alveo and Ayala Land. Evia isn't really a mall yet, as the mall structure is still under construction though well under way. But even as it is, it's popularity has grown much and has become quite a bustling small place, yet still quaint and pleasant.
It all started with this McDonald's Evia. One nice and new McD resto, stylish it must be said, standing alone amidst a huge and newly built, albeit empty driveway. That was it! But the opening of McDonald's brought delight and excitement to residents of Portofino and Verdana. "We now have our very own McDonald's!". Spanking new, fresh and contemporary inside, it displayed on the outside the characteristic "Italian country estate"and old world charm of the Portofino area.
People quickly started patronizing the McDonald's at Evia. That was still about early 2013, and I myself together with my wife would frequently meet our architect there to discuss our new house plans. Many cyclists, both road and mountain who took to Daan Hari on weekends (for touring or as a jump-off point for trail riding - I know this well as I've enjoyed doing both), also made the McDonald's and Evia parking their base for parking cars and for grabbing quick bites. Given it's relative inaccessibility and obscurity, the McDonald's Evia drew a somewhat homogenous crowd, mostly those living around the area, cycling and running enthusiasts, real estate agents for surrounding properties, and those driving by the area en route to work or houses further down Daan Hari and beyond.
Next came Rustan's Fresh Supermarket (seen at the background of the photo on the left, along with BreadTalk which opened more recently). This gave another big lift to Evia. Personally I was so proud to have this gleaming, new supermarket in the area. It reminded me of going to a Jason's supermarket or Market Place in Singapore, not least because there were so few people in it! Such pleasant supermarket shopping! When my teenage kids visited Manila last December, I just had to show them Rustan's Evia! Even today, especially on a weekday but even on week nights, there are relatively few people compared to other supermarkets. Gives you a feeling of exclusivity, so you wouldn't mind paying a bit of extra. Besides, Rustan's is known for delivering a classy shopping experience, so you expect to pay a bit of a premium.
Then came Starbucks Coffee.
The opening of Starbucks Coffee Evia was much-awaited by nearby residents. From the onset, one could see that this was going to be special. It wasn't just a corner in a mall, but a whole building itself. And with a Drive Through!
The Starbucks at Evia has a cozy feel while being big and well-appointed, and the staff are friendly. This Starbucks feels much like part of the local community. Indeed many of the Starbucks patrons here are regulars, unlike in many Starbucks' around the Metro and around the world, where you feel the people are a hodgepodge of transients and shoppers, including yourself, who just happen to be at that particular place and time. Now I'm sure it would depend on each person to feel which one is his "local" café or resto, but you have to admit that some feel homey more quickly than others. For example I get the same feeling at the Starbucks Alabang Town Center during weekdays, and at Starbucks Wheelock, Orchard Road and CBTL Forum, Orchard Road when I was based in Singapore. I hope in Starbucks Evia that the pleasant homey feel can be maintained.
In part Evia is drawing a lot of people because of open and comfortable spaces for people to hang out. There are benches in several areas, and there are many covered gazebos that are not attached to the restaurants at the sides so you don't need to buy any food and drinks to enjoy them. There are also covered walk areas. And a number of establishments are built separate as individual stores (McDonald's, Starbucks, Shakey's which recently opened) and though you see this elsewhere, here at Evia it gives me the feel of some places in the US where there are a lot of wide open spaces and walks between shops.
At the Rustan's building, there is a basement with Ace Hardware and many service shops, e.g a salon, a spa, barbershop, laundry shop, pet salon, and a cupcake and pastry shop. The mens and ladies restrooms (toilets) are worth mentioning as they are designed to give a decidedly upscale feel. And you'll see them maintained by ladies dressed as dainty chambermaids. Recent additions to Evia include a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and PowerBooks. There's also a SereniTea, a resto for meat dishes, and some popular food stalls beside the Rustan's Fresh supermarket.
Weekends, there is a trunk sale at the parking area. This means people selling all sorts of stuff, from Speculoos Cookie Butter to uncommon imported chocolates, to new and pre-loved clothes, bags and shoes, watch winders and jewelry boxes, cosmetics and fragrances, and anything else anyone might think of selling, that they can do from the back of their cars and vans.
Like this Aura In Fashion tops, dresses, pants and accessories.
It's a nice come-on, sellers just need to register and they don't pay for "store space".
And many of the sellers are young and budding entrepreneurs who themselves are from exclusive villages. So enjoy and be nice to everyone! It's a fun, open air bazaar every weekend.
There are often events, and that's another reason people started flocking to the area. So today, Evia is very popular, and a gem for people who know!
And that's even without the main mall, which is under construction. We should start to see some stores opening in a few months. I have mixed feelings with this mall. Of course the added convenience of more shops and big brands will be a benefit, but along with it will come more crowds. The challenge for Vista Malls will be to maintain the idyllic and spacious mall it had created at the start, to uphold and enhance the value of the Portofino property names (and Verdana along with it). Part of the plan of Vists Malls even includes a Venice-like gondola route with restaurants along the way, possibly linking it to Fernbrook, the popular wedding venue just at the back of Verdana. That would be an interesting development indeed.
Getting There, and Nostalgic Memories:
Writing this reminded me of how in my university days, you could drive down Ortigas Avenue from Meralco Avenue in a breeze. It was just a wide open road with few cars, so it felt quite exclusive while enroute to one of the Valle Verde subdivisions. Now, Ortigas Avenue is just jammed with traffic most of the time as it has become filled with businesses and is a common route to many destinations.
In comparison, now is a good time to drive to Evia as it is still a breeze, a quick 10-minute drive along Daan Hari from Alabang. There are few public transport vehicles, and still few establishments, so enjoy this time and lock it in your memory.
I was also reminded of the very early days of Alabang Town Center, when the McDonald's store stood as the lone point of attraction. Same as how Evia mall started. So, Thank you McDonald's for making our neighborhood more interesting!
I hope to enjoy Evia for a long time to come.
And let's all do our part for a clean and pleasant Evia Mall!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I'm a fan of Starbucks and appreciate the comfortable ambiance and good coffee they have in stores worldwide. But I'm really not a fan of killing pre-born babies. Hey, I'm Asian and I love my family! So I have a predicament. I really don't feel like having Starbucks while they support Planned Parenthoood and don't give a public statement or equally support opposing organisations. Th good thing is, worldwide there are other good coffee shop options. What do you think?
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