Patika Bead and Wireworks, a mom -and-pop company that started as a pastime, is now in Ayala Mall Manila Bay for "Tindahan ni Tarsee" to sell handmade goods with distinctive designs.
Established by Joey and Mylene Casimiro, Patika Bead and Wireworks is known for making spoons, forks, ladles, cake slicers, and other dinner utensils that have semi-precious stones intricately wrapped around their handles.
While the kitchenware designs look more like display articles, Mylene says these are fully functional items.
"They are also hand washing and dishwasher safe. The beads and wires won't come off so easily," she said during an interview with the Daily Tribune's multimedia morning show Gising Na! on Tuesday.
How Patika started
Before Joey and Mylene considered making basic semi -precious stones into necklaces, bracelets, or house accents, they had been in the wrought iron industry for a while.
The company is doing well so far, especially considering that they serve a market niche for fashion and home improvement that is always expanding.
According to Mylene, they started their first business when they made colored vases and candle holders for "Regalong Pambahay."
She said they evolved through the years and now they are into this embellish business where they incorporated their signature wire works into their products.
"We got the name of Patika because my daughter kept on saying that word when she was just a year old," Mylene said in Pilipino.
The couple thought they would establish a beading business using the word.
A few years later, she met an Ilonggo couple and asked "Do you know what Patika means?" She said "No." The couple explained that the word means "Do you believe?" in the Ilonggo dialect.
"So it has to do something with the Lord since He guides us to the path that he likes us to take," Mylene said.
Challenges as a startup
When asked about challenges that the couple faced as a startup, Mylene said they faced the major hurdle of securing sufficient funds to keep them going.
But through the years, they learned how to work with what they have and focus on what they needed to do to generate revenue.
"We also recycle the beads that do not fit in," Mylene added.
She explained that they don't want their resources to go to waste, hence they make those beads into a necklace to avoid throwing them out as excess resources.
