PINOY PICKER RESTORES VALUE IN PREVIOUS WORKS
By: Deb Domingo
Back then, young men had no idea his interest in radios will lead him to what is now an income-generating hobby: picking and restoring.
Boom box is one of Deo Feliciano Menor precious thing he owns in his lifetime. When he was 14 he saved his allowance from a cultural exchange program in Japan and days before his return to Manila, handed over all his money to a store owner in Tokyo for the boom box.
“All the other kids bought toys; I got a radio-cassette player. I still have it,” says the now 45-year-old Menor.
“I could not sleep without listening to the radio because I slept alone in my room. Even in elementary, we used to record songs on FM, KB 89.9. I would use my dad’s recorder, and we would play the mix tapes in our Grade 5 and Grade 6 parties,” he says.
In 2004, Menor also known as “Zeus” in the circle of Filipino pickers began salvaging home items like radios, clocks, phones and lamps. Searching for items across social media and online shops for the things he would pick and fix.
Menor started restoring tin robots then branched out to making furniture from damaged items. He said he was always been into old things, that he started as a picker and now, he is into restoration. Then, he also got the inspiration from a television program Kings of Restoration.
He was trained as an electrical engineer and involved in his father’s medical supplies business has put him in the circles of doctors and administrations all his life. His family used to supply oncology equipment for one of the country’s biggest hospitals.
He has cultivated relationships with interior designers and artist who look forward to his latest works.
When his father got sick in 2014 and their business was sent spiralling down, Menor, found himself turning to his pickings for some form of comfort- and it turns out, livelihood.
“Picking and restoring is relaxing. I enjoy the works of art that I get to share with people. It feels great seeing them happy with what they got from me,” Menor says.
One of his frequent clients has even designated a spot in his office called Zeus’ Corner, which showcases a turntable-turned-clock, a sewing machine-lamp, a PLDT phone lamp.
Some of Menor’s works are also bought and sold by a furniture store in Pasig known for its unique and quirky merchandise, but most of his sales are from social media. For those interested, look for his page Z-atwork on Facebook.
He says he chooses not to create the same designs because he wants only one of each piece and because as a picker he also cannot guarantee the availability of his raw materials.
“I must like what I pick, to begin with. I don’t pick something so I can sell it. One mistake pickers make is that they pick an item hoping to make money, even if they don’t like it. And when there’s no buyer, it ends up as clutter. I must like everything I see at home,” Menor says.
While he is willing to let go of most items in his house, he hardly ever offers them for sale.
When clients come over to get their items, somethimes he gives them a freebie, as a sort of price for buying from him. And by that way he builds his customer base to give people a good deals so that they will keep coming back.
Yet, before agreeing to let go of his precious picks or sell his restored pieces he evaluate his buyers. Because he wants that the items will go to someone who really appreciate it.
“I don’t want to be attached to things, unless they come with a story or a relationship,” Menor says. “In the end, they’re just things: I enjoy them and eventually I let them go, at the right price.”
By: Deb Domingo
source: Google Photos
Back then, young men had no idea his interest in radios will lead him to what is now an income-generating hobby: picking and restoring.
Boom box is one of Deo Feliciano Menor precious thing he owns in his lifetime. When he was 14 he saved his allowance from a cultural exchange program in Japan and days before his return to Manila, handed over all his money to a store owner in Tokyo for the boom box.
“All the other kids bought toys; I got a radio-cassette player. I still have it,” says the now 45-year-old Menor.
“I could not sleep without listening to the radio because I slept alone in my room. Even in elementary, we used to record songs on FM, KB 89.9. I would use my dad’s recorder, and we would play the mix tapes in our Grade 5 and Grade 6 parties,” he says.
In 2004, Menor also known as “Zeus” in the circle of Filipino pickers began salvaging home items like radios, clocks, phones and lamps. Searching for items across social media and online shops for the things he would pick and fix.
Menor started restoring tin robots then branched out to making furniture from damaged items. He said he was always been into old things, that he started as a picker and now, he is into restoration. Then, he also got the inspiration from a television program Kings of Restoration.
source: Google Photos
He has cultivated relationships with interior designers and artist who look forward to his latest works.
When his father got sick in 2014 and their business was sent spiralling down, Menor, found himself turning to his pickings for some form of comfort- and it turns out, livelihood.
“Picking and restoring is relaxing. I enjoy the works of art that I get to share with people. It feels great seeing them happy with what they got from me,” Menor says.
One of his frequent clients has even designated a spot in his office called Zeus’ Corner, which showcases a turntable-turned-clock, a sewing machine-lamp, a PLDT phone lamp.
source: Google Photos
Some of Menor’s works are also bought and sold by a furniture store in Pasig known for its unique and quirky merchandise, but most of his sales are from social media. For those interested, look for his page Z-atwork on Facebook.
He says he chooses not to create the same designs because he wants only one of each piece and because as a picker he also cannot guarantee the availability of his raw materials.
“I must like what I pick, to begin with. I don’t pick something so I can sell it. One mistake pickers make is that they pick an item hoping to make money, even if they don’t like it. And when there’s no buyer, it ends up as clutter. I must like everything I see at home,” Menor says.
While he is willing to let go of most items in his house, he hardly ever offers them for sale.
When clients come over to get their items, somethimes he gives them a freebie, as a sort of price for buying from him. And by that way he builds his customer base to give people a good deals so that they will keep coming back.
Yet, before agreeing to let go of his precious picks or sell his restored pieces he evaluate his buyers. Because he wants that the items will go to someone who really appreciate it.
“I don’t want to be attached to things, unless they come with a story or a relationship,” Menor says. “In the end, they’re just things: I enjoy them and eventually I let them go, at the right price.”
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