Dinna is a seamstress and barangay seller in Barangay Pasong Putik, Novaliches, Quezon City. Together with her husband who is also a retired tailor, they run a small business that provides a variety of tailoring services in their neighborhood. She would also sell products and press clothes for neighbors to earn extra aside from tailoring.
When Luzon was placed on lockdown, their means of living were affected due to the threat of COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed by the government. Meeting both ends meet became difficult and their small business was forced to explore innovative solutions. They started sewing and selling reusable face masks out of scraps of cloth or retaso yet they were barely earning from these.
In her effort to keep their small business afloat, Dinna went to the barangay office of Pasong Putik to see if their Barangay Kapitana can offer alternative livelihood programs for struggling barangay sellers like her. That was when she learned that SMDC was partnering with their barangay for The Good Guys Weekend Market at Trees Residences where she was immediately offered a space for her small business.
The Weekend Market is a project of The Good Guys campaign in partnership with barangays around the Metro that provides a safe avenue for residents to purchase fresh produce food and avail of services that have been non-accessible because of community quarantine restrictions. Aside from keeping the residents safe, this also supported local farmers, small business owners, and vendors like Dinna so that they, too, can continue their livelihood in the time of the pandemic.
During the first couple of weekends at Trees Residences, Dinna offered clothing repair and alterations while selling vegetables, fish, and poultry products. After some time, they expanded their business with ready-made curtains, bed linen sets, and made-to-order tailoring for requesting residents. The resident-customers were very happy because they finally had their clothes repaired and they also got to enhance their home spaces because of the ready-made and customized products offered by Dinna.
After a challenging year, Dinna’s livelihood was given a turnaround with the help of The Good Guys. “Lumago yung negosyo ko dahil sa Weekend Market tapos natutuwa pa ako dahil sa mga kasamahan kong nagbebenta rin doon. Pati yung mga residents natutuwa kasi may nagtatahi na, kumpleto na raw ‘yong Weekend Market,” Dinna shared in an interview. With her thriving business, Dinna hopes to serve more SMDC residents through The Good Guys Weekend Market.
Dinna’s story is just one of the many narratives people encounter at The Good Guys Weekend Market. While The Good Guys campaign strives to create a vibrant community for the SMDC residents, it also opens its doors for sustainable partnerships with local governments and small-scale businesses in the hopes of building better communities within and outside SMDC.