Tell us about the history of Tradewinds.
Tradewinds Bookshop was established in 1989 by Robert and Mila Lane as
part of the complex housed in the Silahis Center. Silahis Arts and Artifacts
was the first enterprise located in the building named El Amanecer in
1985. Since its inception, three other subsidiaries were formed to complete
what is now known as The Silahis Center. Aside from Tradewinds
Books, there are Chang Rong Antique Gallery, Galeria de las Islas and
Kayamanang Asya (an auction and appraisal house).
What made you decide to open Tradewinds in Intramuros?
After Silahis Arts and Artifacts opened in 1985, we realized that there was a
need for more information on the Philippines, its culture and history. This inspired
us to open our bookstore. Being located in Intramuros, a unique historical center,
it seemed ideal for the what we had envisioned. The building which houses
Tradewinds Books is named El Amanecer (“The Dawn”) and it’s built on the site of
the Lourdes Church which was completely razed to the ground during the battle
for the liberation of Manila in 1945. The building was designed to approximate the
home of the landed gentry of the 19th century or the Ilustrados.
Tradewinds is described as a “cultural bookshop”. Can you tell us more
about that?
Tradewinds Books specializes in Filipiniana books and publications
particularly those on art, history, culture and related subjects, as well as
publications on Asia and the Pacific.
What role do bookstores play in conserving our heritage and history?
Bookstores play an important role in conserving heritage and history
by making these factors easily accessible to the
general public. Books and the printed word are
records of our history which generally survive for
generations to enjoy and benefit from.
Tradewinds has been around for almost 30
years! How is running a bookstore, especially an
independent one, different, now that there are
more chain bookstores and online shopping?
Tradewinds Books has been around for
29 years and hopefully will continue in its
mission to make Philippine history and culture
available to all interested parties for many more
years. There is always room for independent
enterprises as long as they provide services that
are needed. Of course, every enterprise has to
keep up with technology and Tradewinds Books
is not an exception. We do online marketing.
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Making recommendations,
Bottom: The El Amanecer Building
in Intramuros, Manila, where
Tradewinds Books is located