GREENFIELD District Central Park, a popular urban destination in Mandaluyong City, marked the second year of its Greenfield Weekend Market with carnival-like flair.

 

The weekend market in the open park has become known for good eats and retail finds.

 

There are specialty coffee from SGD Coffee; Spanish cuisine from Mrs. Paella; roasted pig from Raffy’s Belly Lechon; sweets from The Apple Treat; and craft beers from Serbesa Manila.

 

There are also hard-to-find books from Books Around the Corner; succulents and small plants from Bioart.ph; vinyl records and collectors’ items from Vintage Manila; giant bubble-makers from Happy Bubbles; and innovative apparel from Kariza Vintage PH.

 

“Two years ago, it was not quite like this at the start. It was a new concept in this area. Now it gets really packed,” said Duane Santos, executive vice president of Greenfield Development Corp.

 

Its main attractions are the venue and location—a unique open space amid the concrete jungle.

 

Another feature is its good mix of concessionaires and tenants, many of whom have been pioneer participants in the market, and have remained exclusively there.

 

One such tenant is SGD Coffee, which has been selling its single-origin, 100-percent Arabica coffee beans at the Greenfield Weekend Market since it opened in September 2014.

 

According to SGD Coffee’s Marti Bartolome, without having its own standalone store just yet, it has managed to make the business thrive by meeting customers at the market. These people put in regular orders.

 

Chef JP Rafael, who sells Korean dishes in his stall K-Fry, says that the Greenfield Weekend Market has given him something worthwhile to do in his spare time for the past two years.