OUR STORY
Our Company
We are a small business based in Chicago, Illinois and have sold Barong Tagalog for over a decade in Illinois since 2008. We take pride in the quality of barongs we sell as we personally work with the Filipinos that produced these fine handcrafted clothes in Lumban, Laguna, Philippines.
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The founder, Pacita Ebarvia, is happily retired and occasionally returns to the office to impart her wisdom to her daughter Charisma, who has taken over the store since the pandemic.
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Pre Pandemic Times
Prior to the pandemic, Philippines Finest Barong Embroidery or PFBE, transformed from our humble beginnings in 2008 to having a full scale retail store front in the Chicagoland area, with the last retail store on Elston Street in Jefferson Park, Chicago. Unfortunately, we closed the retail store in 2020 due to the global pandemic that not only put a strain on our supply chain, but also dried up demand.
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Post Pandemic
Without wedding events and venues able to host Filipino gatherings, PFBE was forced, like many small businesses, to re-invent itself amidst the growing cost of running a business. We had to reduce our expenses and letting go of a retail store and converting the business into a boutique clothing business allowed us to survive 2020 and 2021
In 2022, we have completely transformed the business model from "waiting for customers" to have a tailored experience to our clients by providing them apparel suitable to their needs and showcasing these during their appointments.
In 2023 and onward, we plan to expand our business to include e-commerce while growing our unique boutique clothing business to help our "kababayan", fellow Filipinos, fellow Chicagoans, and anyone who is need of a touch of our Traditional Filipino Formal Wear.
Thank you for everyone who has supported us throughout the years!
