Tales of SM: Fact or Fiction?

The “M” in SM

You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that that second initial in the “SM” brand stood for “Mart” since Henry Sy’s dream was to shod the foot of every Filipino/Filipina, and he needed to create a store for people from all walks of life to purchase their footwear from. But before SM, his first shop was an unnamed entity in the Quiapo district in the 1950s, followed by three outlets Plaza, Paris and Park Avenue. These were consolidated into the label Shoemart in 1958, becoming SM in 1975.