About | Spruce Gallery - Our Story & Mission

Spruce Gallery exterior in Ortigas Center

The Beginning

A Dream Years in the Making

Spruce Gallery is the brainchild of Bonnapart Galeng and Ric Gindap, colleagues at Design for Tomorrow, one of the Philippines' top branding and creative agencies. Their shared love for print media and art led them to create a space that Manila had been missing.

"We always go out of the country for work and leisure, and our first stop is bookstores. It's really hard to find good magazines here in the Philippines. So we thought, why don't we just open a magazine store?" says Galeng.

Spruce Gallery founders Bonnapart Galeng and Ric Gindap

The Founders

Bonnapart Galeng & Ric Gindap

Before Spruce Gallery, both founders edited a local magazine called Monday Magazine in 2010. Their deep connections with international publishers, editors at Monocle, Design Anthology, and It's A Passion Thing, allow them to source directly and pass savings on to customers.

Gindap serves as Design for Tomorrow's CEO and Chief Creative Director. Together, they developed Spruce Gallery's brand identity, logo design, and in-store environment, creating a space where every detail is intentional.

The Name

Why "Spruce"?

The etymology of "Spruce" comes from the word Pruce, meaning "from Prussia." In Prussia, there is an amazing timber used both as pulp for printing paper and to frame artworks. The name symbolically references both magazines and art.

"Crucially, as a word itself, sprucing up is to enhance, to elevate, to make things a little bit better. That's the goal of the gallery — that when you come here, it broadens your horizon, enhances your mood through delightful discovery, and becomes a reflection of your evolving tastes." — Ric Gindap

The Space

Designed for Discovery

The shop features a largely black space which effectively acts as a blank canvas to the exuberance of colors and explosion of design elements on its shelves.

Inside Spruce Gallery showing magazine displays

Every Detail Thought Through

Magazines are displayed with their covers upfront — not by spine — so visitors can readily appreciate each title's design and artwork. The powder-coated perforated steel walls make it easy to switch up displays.

A Monocle radio perched atop a black Ishinomaki Laboratory Tripodal High Stool broadcasts Monocle 24 station round-the-clock, creating a seamless experience between what you see and what you hear.

Filipino zines are showcased on a special rack, championing local independent voices alongside international titles.

What We Stand For

Our Mission

Broadening horizons, championing independent voices, and always being a crucible of creativity.

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Champion Independent Voices

We prominently carry zines locally and from Southeast Asia, many being made available in the Philippines for the first time.

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Spark a Print Revolution

We want to spark the revolution again with print and give local printmakers assurance that there is a space for them on a shelf.

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Build a Community

We are building a loyal following of culturally curious people who believe in the power of discovery through print and art.

Our Story