Fam celebrates first anniversary

Text and photos by: Kimmy Baraoidan

It’s that little store that you see when you walk or drive down to the parking lot of LB Square in Los Baños, Laguna. Though small, the store boasts of hip and cool local clothing and apparel brands, the type that would typically suit a young guy who’s into hip-hop and street subculture. But the store isn’t only about looks. It also sells books–food for the mind–that you don’t normally see in big commercial bookstores.

It’s quite impossible to miss the Fam Lifestyle Store. Its white walls stand out from the gray blur surrounding it. From the outside, you can see the merchandise through the sliding glass windows, and it would take some utter self-control not to go in and check them out. Fam carries local brands like Enimal (tees and button-down shirts), Caution Clothing (street wear), Bimstore (shoes), WIP Caps, and Undertow Books.

Ajok Jacobe (far left), owner of clothing brand Enimal and co-owner of Fam, talks on the phone while customers check out the store's merchandise in Los Baños, Laguna. (Photo by: Kimmy Baraoidan)

Ajok Jacobe (far left), owner of clothing brand Enimal and co-owner of Fam, talks on the phone while customers check out the store’s merchandise in Los Baños, Laguna. (Photo by: Kimmy Baraoidan)

My favorite piece at the store is not for sale, though. It’s a floor-to-ceiling sheet metal sticker wall that bears logos of other local clothing and apparel brands and bands, groups and collectives, and graffiti and graphic art. It’s installed beside a desk where co-owner David Villania III, also known as hip-hop artist Gnarrate, often stays when he mans the store.

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