Tucked in an unassuming intersection between a pedestrian street and an alley, within Makati’s Legazpi Village, is Cop Garden. It's a hidden gem for sneakerheads and urban culture enthusiasts, surrounded by offices, condominiums, and warehouses.

The store has a laid-back and relaxing vibe, with soft-lit cafes and canopies of acacias in the neighborhood. The green carpets give it a well-maintained lawn feel, and there are plants dangling between shelves. The store holds rare finds, such as original KAWS art toys, an ASICS Gel-Kayano 14 (although ASICS has since released the 31st edition), in demand Travis Scott Jordans and  Adidas x Gucci Gazelles to name a few.

Founder Adrian Garcia believes that the community is what truly defines the shop. What began as a one-person business selling his personal secondhand sneakers and clothing has evolved into a center for buying, selling, and consigning items related to Filipino street culture.

It’s almost like a university, where a buzz of activity is buoyed by a relaxed atmosphere. Garcia observes that some customers are more knowledgeable than him with regards to styles and trends, matched peerlessly in terms of know-how by Cop Garden’s loyal crew, many of whom have been there since Day One.

NBA star Collin Sexton even visited the shop following an event in the Philippines, attracting UAAP, PBA players and celebrities in search of rare sneakers and gear. The store's appeal extends to a diverse customer base, including kids and adults from all walks of life.

The people in your neighborhood

Cop Garden was founded in 2018 after Garcia left his previous career of many years as a professional Polo Player, where he had represented the Philippine national team numerous times amongst many other teams from many different countries. Despite the perceived glamour of the sport, Garcia's experience taught him humility, grit, and persistence. The work was often rugged and rough due to the demands of horse care and being a professional athlete.

"Reflecting on the past, it taught me the value of connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds," Garcia reflects. This belief in building connections and being present during challenging times is what he brings to leading his Cop Garden team.

It was initially a smooth and steady start, from an online store selling around 30 pairs of shoes and clothing items, to a garage-based store, all the way to when the shop finally established its first physical location, also in Makati.

During Cop Garden’s first anniversary in 2019, the building security guard called Garcia informing him that lines snaked around the stairwell and well into the street. Some of the customers had been camping out the night before, something which the store regularly experienced on a day-to-day basis, but not like this. They wouldn’t open for another four hours from the time Garcia got the call.

We all know what hit in 2020 “as the handbrake went up during the pandemic,” Garcia recalls, being away from his store for 15 days, which became almost 15 weeks. “I don’t know anyone that could have prepared for what was about to happen then.” But the shop kept its employees and cut no one’s pay during those tough times. “We focused more online, improved our Instagram customer service and quickly launched our website to cater to people that were simply stuck at home.” Garcia sold his personal collection once again, but this time, these were items he never intended to sell given their sentimental value. “Access to the store was impossible then and I did what I had to do, not knowing what to expect.” Today, he shares that “if only I could get my collection back at the same price, I would.”

It takes a village

"When consignors come to us," Garcia explains, "we always advise them on whether selling their items independently would yield greater returns than consigning with us for particular “slower” items. We want them to get the most they can for their items." He and his team prioritize transparency when dealing and negotiating items brought to the store by the community. “We want to make sure they have a good experience in dealing with us and we would love for them to keep coming back.”

As an aficionado himself, Garcia notes that it’s the same spirit he experienced during visits to Los Angeles, particularly Melrose and Fairfax, the go-tos when it comes to street and urban culture. He mentions stores like Round Two, Cool-Kicks, and Flight Club.

Five years into the business, what drives Garcia to keep going has evolved, too. He’s now married with a young family, and so are many of his long-time employees.

“When you’ve seen a million Jordans, what excites me now – and don’t get me wrong, I love shoes and my store – are also the day-to-day operations of running the shop and seeing where we can keep improving and growing. Sure, it can get repetitive, but this is what I signed up for. It’s always fun to plan events, marketing gimmicks, and experiment with new projects and systems while behind-the-scenes.”

He recalls the first time they tried making reels for social media; while it was awkward at first, the crew now gets a good laugh and the reels have gotten pretty good with some views reaching hundreds of thousands. And then there are the giveaways, such as Easter Egg Hunts where customers simply have to search Legazpi Village for hidden shoes, which lucky finders then get to cop – for free.

He likens leading his store and team to a sport he’s grown to love, F1 racing: “Everyone knows F1 drivers are really buoyed by their sponsors and engineers. There’d be no Verstappen, no Hamilton without Toto Wolff or Christian Horner, no Christian Horner or Toto Wolff without the engineers, they wouldn’t have engineers without those guys building the cars. There’s no guys that build the cars without the guys that build the machines that build the cars.”

The same could be said about this humble store in Makati. If there was no urban culture scene, there would be no passion-fueled kicks trade, without a passion-fueled kicks trade, Cop Garden’s crew wouldn’t learn the ins-and-outs of the industry, and without Adrian Garcia at the heart and soul of the shop, the Philippine sneakerhead scene wouldn’t be as bright as it is today.

Cop your latest steal at https://www.copgarden.com/

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