Supporting creatives through a shared space
Sister and brother, Meryl and Karl, started their own businesses in front of their childhood house. Meryl's candle-making business and Karl's record store were the siblings’ pandemic-born passion projects that grew from their front yard, to online platforms, and finally to their physical store at Cubao Expo.
We got to see their sibling dynamic as well as their individual brands when we visited them at their shared store space.
Getting to know our creatives
Can you introduce yourself and your business?
Meryl: I’m Meryl Alyssa Chloe, you can call me Meryl, and I’m a licensed physician and entrepreneur rolled into one. I am the CEO, Chairperson, and Founder of The Doctor Chandler Incorporated. As a child, I've always been fascinated with science, arts & crafts, and anything that smells good - like my mother's perfumes and potpourris.
As a lover of fragrances, I got into scented candles during med school days and collecting them started during the pandemic. This sparked my creativity so I tried making my own candles. At first, I did not intend to start a business. I only wanted to make candles for personal use and to explore different scents, and start a new hobby to keep me sane during pandemic duty days. Fortunately, a few of my friends wanted to purchase my candles and the demand for them started to increase. I then decided to share the craft with the public by starting The Doctor Chandler.
Karl: I am Karl Pagunuran. I'm a music lover, vinyl collector, and record store owner.
It started as a passion project during the pandemic. I started selling small batches of vinyl records on Instagram and that is how The Good Vibrations Records Instagram page started. I started to sell some of my excess or double copies and some of the records I don't want to keep anymore. I was surprised about the number of sales I got from my first batch of sales so I put up a second batch which sold out equally as fast. Since then, I continued posting and shipping records online until I was able to set up the physical store of Good Vibrations Records.
How was the collaboration process as siblings and fellow business owners in sharing the same space for your businesses despite having different products?
Meryl: We started out with a physical store/music lounge in front of our house. While my brother and I were eating at an establishment in Cubao Expo, we thought of expanding our businesses and building a brick and mortar right there. We thought to ourselves that, if we won’t be accepted, we will just stay in our store and do online sales but thankfully, the owner of Cubao Expo gave us a chance to open a store.
Cubao Expo, formerly known as Marikina Shoe Expo, is known to be a home of artsy and unconventional finds. I found that putting up The Doctor Chandler, along with my brother’s business Good Vibrations Records, at Cubao Expo will bring unique value to the space. In addition, we feel that our artisanal fragranced candles and curated vinyl records will complement the business concept of Cubao Expo.
Despite having different products, we've found that our common ground was being passionate about what we're doing. To him, it's the music. To me, it's the craft. Both are equally relaxing and stimulate your senses in a whole different kind of way.
Karl: I have always dreamt of opening a physical record shop where like-minded people can hang out, listen to or just share a passion for music regardless of genre. Since Cubao Expo is known for art, music, and passion-driven businesses there’s no other place I could have thought of that will complement the vision and idea that I want for my record shop. It’s like the Cubao Expo or staying at home.
About candle-making
Meryl, can you share with us the journey of becoming a doctor and the inspiration behind your candle-making business?
Becoming a doctor is a life-long learning process and vocation – it is both rewarding yet draining, fulfilling yet exhausting, fun and enjoyable yet frustrating, and demanding of your time. It's like there are no grey areas. Due to this, one should have something to look forward to once they're off duty or something that will set their soul on fire.
The Doctor Chandler candles are medical-themed candles. They are inspired by my love for art and science. I wanted to inspire fellow doctors and other people who want to pursue their passion but can't due to their busy schedules. The pandemic has made me realize that there should be a balance between your work and life in order to be truly living. Hence, our tagline is "Self-care is Healthcare". Self-care, to me, is being able to put yourself first.
What is the process of candle-making like?
Candle-making is a therapeutic and meditative process for me. While the scents trigger the part of the brain (limbic system) that is connected to the olfactory system and stimulates our mental well-being, I found the scent exploration and pouring process itself very therapeutic. At first, I thought candle making is just a simple melt and pour process, but no, it includes a lot of chemistry, mathematics, and creativity. As a doctor who dreams of becoming a surgeon, I am fond of work activities that have to do with experimenting and doing something with my hands. I do not treat my business as work but as a creative outlet that I can share with others.
Do you produce other products aside from candles?
Yes, we also offer handcrafted fragrance mists, bath salts, soaps, and lotions.
What is the best thing and the most challenging part of your business?
The best thing about what I'm doing now is I get to enjoy work and leisure at the same time. We also get to meet a lot of people and build communities of like-minded individuals – someone who has a passion for fragrances, candles, and crafting. I enjoy getting to know different kinds of characters. Being an entrepreneur is such a humbling experience.
While the most challenging would be dealing with mishandling of my products (courier problems) and of course, due to the nature of our small business and lack of employees, some items we have take time to restock, especially the best-sellers. Thankfully, I have the best customers who have supported my small business since day one, and luckily, even our new customers are the nicest people. As long as there are people supporting us, we will continue creating and inspiring.
How do you balance your medical practice and your business?
When I'm on duty, I'd take pre-orders or open my order site in Shopee. The next day, when I come home from duty, I will pack and have them shipped. Now that we have a physical store, I only do online consultations so I can focus on building and stabilizing my new business.
About curating records
Can you share with us how you curate your store? Is there a certain genre your store is focused on or does the selection change in time?
I curated the store with different kinds of genres. Before I started, I invited several other online record shops that specialize in different kinds of genres to sell their products at my place (once the physical store was open). To my surprise, a good number of them agreed to my proposal so now, you can find different bins/crates inside Good Vibrations from different other online sellers, each one having its own titles, genres, and themes. This move was relatively popular with our customers since they have a wide variety of records to choose from. As an added bonus/consequence of our arrangement, Good Vibrations has now become more than just a shop, it is now a community of passionate music-loving individuals regardless of their taste in music.
Can you share more about this community?
I wanted a different and unique kind of record shop where people don’t just browse, buy and go. With this in mind, I started Good Vibrations to be more like a music lounge where they can dig (browse records), have a drink, or just simply sit and enjoy listening to music. I always dreamt of a safe space for people like me that share the same passion for music or for people that are already tired of going to bars with very loud music where they have to literally shout at the bartender or friends just to get a message across. Here in Good Vibrations, everyone can simply chill and talk to each other while enjoying good music at reasonable volumes.
We saw on your social media account that you also host listening parties and disco parties, can you elaborate on how you started all of these?
I started “Listening Parties” to encourage our customers and followers to visit Good Vibrations and experience the simple joy of just sitting and just listening to records while also socializing with other individuals with like-minded interests. As for “Disco Parties,” we have had one so far which is our Grand Opening Party last 16 July 2022. It was always a dream event of mine since I'm a huge fan of 70s Disco, Soul, and a little bit of Funk Music. That's where Disco Cubao originated.
How was the collaboration with the Gouache team in coming up with the record holder bag?
When the Gouache team invited us for their Brand's Artist Feature, I came up with an idea on how we can cater to the needs of record lovers, DJs, and crate diggers - A Record Bag. Collaborating with Gouache, a team of local artisans who make meticulously handcrafted bags, I am sure we would be able to pull off a design that will not only fit the needs of vinyl records enthusiasts; but also music lovers alike. I was stunned when the prototype matched what I sketched for Gouache. A bag designed by a record digger for record diggers.
What is the best thing and the most challenging part of your business?
The most challenging thing for me is the same challenge as most other startup business experiences and that is being a so-called "one-man army." As the founder, I am its first employee hence I need to manage social media, be the storekeeper, inventory manager, procurement, curator, floor manager, etc. I just thank God my girlfriend, Azalie, helps me during the weekends to manage the shop. I am also extremely grateful to my sister, Dr. Meryl (The Doctor Chandler), and my brother, Niels, for their support.
The best thing about it is being able to share what I really love, music.
What is the best thing and the most challenging part of your business?
The most challenging thing for me is the same challenge as most other startup business experiences and that is being a so-called "one-man army." As the founder, I am its first employee hence I need to manage social media, be the storekeeper, inventory manager, procurement, curator, floor manager, etc. I just thank God my girlfriend, Azalie, helps me during the weekends to manage the shop. I am also extremely grateful to my sister, Dr. Meryl (The Doctor Chandler), and my brother, Niels, for their support.
The best thing about it is being able to share what I really love, music.