Vania Padilla-Edralin of IKEA Shop Manila

If you’re into functional, durable, well-designed and affordable furniture, you’ve probably come across the Swedish home furnishings brand IKEA.

My family and I first encountered the IKEA brand during one of our stopovers in Singapore, on our way to Timor Leste, where we used to be based as lay missionaries for our Catholic community. Our host family in Singapore brought us to one of the IKEA stores there and we “fell in love” with everything IKEA. Of course, being a missionary family, we couldn’t afford to splurge on a lot of the items on display, and settled on purchasing a sturdy wooden railroad set for our son, who was, at that time, “obsessed” with trains.
 
Since returning to Manila, my husband and I still sometimes mention IKEA products in our conversations, especially when we talk about the future house we’d like to eventually call our own.

I was pleasantly surprised then when I discovered that one of our friends and former co-missionaries, Vania Padilla-Edralin, had started selling IKEA products online. This meant that our family could still avail of the high quality products from IKEA locally (when we can afford to do so!). Vania tells us how the “IKEA online store” came to be.

The “Store”
IKEA Shop Manila is an online store selling IKEA items. Although Vania clarifies that it is not an official IKEA store or franchise, she assures her customers that all of the IKEA products in her shop are authentic.

Vania also says that her online store is unique in the sense that she provides people with a well-loved and affordable brand of items that they can conveniently order online and have delivered straight to their home. “I also do pre-order of items for bulk orders or for special requests - meaning if you like something from IKEA in particular, I can ship it to the Philippines for you,” she adds.

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The Business Idea
As a young mom of three - Santino (3.5yrs), Ysabella (1.9yrs) and Giovanni (6 months) – Vania says she is always on the lookout for "good buys" for their home - meaning reasonably priced items that are durable. “I was familiar with the IKEA brand, and know that it is famous for being affordable, stylish and of good quality. I knew that other moms (and non-moms) like me would automatically love owning anything (and everything) IKEA,” she shares.

“I had met someone who was already importing IKEA items for her business (she is an architect), and so I broached the idea of me selling IKEA items online with her since she was shipping them in from Dubai already anyway. She loved the idea. We clicked and the rest, as they say, is history,“ Vania adds.

The Benefits of an Online Business
As a mompreneur, Vania shares the benefits of having an online store:
• “You can work and operate from the comforts of your home - this translates to still having time with your kids (and family) despite working.”
• “No overhead expenses when it comes to having a shop -- all you need are good photos and good descriptions of your items for sale.”
• “You can earn extra/ added income from something that you work on during your spare time.”
• “Your business is easily accessible, anytime and anywhere as long as you have an Internet connection.”
• “It has the potential to be anything you want it to be with just a click of a button.”

Business Tips from Vania
For the moms (or dads) out there who may be inclined to setting up their own online business, Vania would like to share the following words of wisdom:
 
• Find or sell a product that you believe in or that you would use and buy yourself. If you don't like your product, then don't expect others to like or buy it too.
• Be bold and creative. Marketing is important especially online. Use catchy words and phrases and have good photos.

Indeed, for this former magazine editor-turned-mompreneur, setting up her own online shop has definitely had its share of rewards – she gets to spend quality time with her loved ones and, at the same time, promote products that she truly believes in. After all, isn’t that what good businesses are all about? (Or at least, that’s what they should be about!)

For more information about IKEA Shop Manila, you can email ikeamanilaonline@gmail.com. You can also browse their products on Multiply or add Vania on Facebook.

Photos from the IKEA Shop Manila website