First Look at SM City Naga

Last night, I had to buy a phone gadget in a hurry. It was eight in the evening and I had to look for a store to buy it. And look what I found---SM City Naga! The gadget I needed was right there at SM Appliances---all options and various models available at Manila prices.

The unusually heavy traffic along Panganiban avenue on a very rainy, almost stormy night courtesy of three weather disturbances around Luzon, suddenly reminded me that this was the day the much hyped grand opening of SM took place. All parking spaces outside the mall were occupied. Guards on raincoat guided us to a third-level parking area. We were told there were more parking spaces at the fourth level.

It was past nine in the evening when I, together with my youngest son who is on post-graduation vacation, had a chance to look around. Every new SM mall seems to have a new look. SM Mega Mall looks old and retro compared to SM Naga. To me, the ambiance is more like that of Tri-noma or Eastwood Mall. My son pointed to the hundreds of light bulbs at the ceiling of the SM Department Store and explained that it takes almost microscopic precision to position each of those bulbs to produce the "cool effect." That's a job for lighting engineers. The right color scheme that blends with the lights and soothes the mind is another aspect that artists whack their brains over. Indeed, it felt good to be inside the department store.
What makes SM City Naga distinct from the other SM Malls is the prominent presence of popular local eateries that decided to establish niches in the mall. Outright, I noted stalls of Geewan and IceBlink in the foodcourt. Other local restaurants you find, but with refurbished five-star look, are Molino Grill, Bean Bag and Graceland.
As previously feared, the arrival of SM Naga City comes as shock and awe for local businesses. SM management doesn't seem to think of Naga as a provincial city in the second-most depressed region in the Philippines. Looking around and seeing the almost limitless variety of products on sale---from the dangit of Cebu, exotic vegetables that I rarely see, all species of fish including my favorite blue marlin, cheap pork from Davao to flat-screen TVs and the latest Ford Ranger pick-up truck, I almost felt that every aspect of SM City Naga is an overkill.

All sections from the department stores, appliance center, food court, grocery and fruits, vegetables, meat and fish sections, including the multi-level parking areas, even the main lobby, are first-class. And, yes, National Bookstore even slips quietly into the local scene with SM.

SM's lessons in attention to details, ambiance, product presentation, marketing, automation and customer service---and, yes, lots of good taste, class and quality--- might  just make local businessmen see the subtle aspects of enterprises that they have ignored for long.

The grand opening took place earlier in the day while Naga was under typhoon signal no. 1. There were no costly fireworks and blinding lights. Some observers even say the SM opening was not grand at all.

There were no celebrity guests and movie stars at the opening. And nobody seems to mind. In Naga City, no celebrity could draw bigger crowd than an SM Mall itself.

And it is an attraction that will be a fixture of Naga---a provincial city that will never be the same again.