Biography of socorro ramos

Work hard, very hard. There is no express elevator to success – you have to climb the stairs.

These are the very words of Socorro Ramos, who is affectionately known as “Nanay Coring” by her close ones. Already in her 90s, Socorro built the largest and the oldest bookstore chain in the country with her husband José Ramos.

She has never taken a single vacation in her life, but she still remains passionate and energetic despite her old age.

Humble Beginnings

But the road to success with her husband is not an easy one.

They had to rebuild their business three times from scratch, but it did not deter them from pursuing their dream of running a successful bookstore.  

Socorro was born in a family of entrepreneurs. Her parents sold everything from clothes to slippers, and her grandmother owned a stall in the market.

But life was hard in the province back then, so she and her family decided to move to Manila. Young Socorro got a job peeling the paper of old cigarettes to be reused again; and was paid 5 centavos for finishing a pack.

And even at a very young age, she possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. She would hire children in the neighbourhood and pay them 5 centavos for every 2 packs they finish peeling.

In her teenage years, she worked as a salesgirl at Goodwill Bookstore, owned by her husband’s family. After marriage, the couple managed their own branch in Escolta, which was eventually renamed as The National Bookstore.

Remaining Resilient in Tough Times

But the entrepreneurial journey definitely wasn’t smooth-sailing, and they did face challenges and adversities along the way.

During the Japanese occupation, they had to reexamine the book titles they were selling because if the books were found to be questionable, their store would risk getting torn down. 

As such, the couple resorted to selling other items such as cigarettes, paper

“SOCORRO C. RAMOS” is the matriarch of National Bookstore, the Philippines’ leading retailer of books, office supplies, and greeting cards. In 1965, she and her husband Jose set up a nine-story building along Avenida Rizal which would be the very first National Bookstore. What has become the Ramos family business has not stopped growing since, having opened Powerbooks, a now popular specialty bookstore, in 1996. In 1940, Socorro Ramos, barely 18, started working as a salesgirl at a Goodwill Bookstore branch owned by her brother in Escolta, Manila. Because of her selling skills, Ramos was put in charge of the store. It was only after marrying Jose Ramos that her dream of the setting up a bookstore finally materialized. The couple started the first National Book Store as a stall shop in Escolta selling supplies, GI novels, and textbooks. Unable to afford extra help, Ramos worked not only as manager but also as cashier, purchaser, saleslady, janitor, and helper. When war broke out, strict censorship regulations forced many retailers in Manila, including the Ramos couple, to shift trades. They moved to selling soap, candies, and slippers instead. After the Japanese occupation, the Ramos couple were able to rebuild a barong-barong in the corner of Soler and Avenida Rizal in time to catch the boom of post-war business. Using the door of their house as a counter, Ramos again started selling textbooks, notebooks, pad paper, and pencils in time for the first postwar school year in the country. Just like that, National Book Store made its transition from being a general merchandise store to a store that sells books and more. Business went well mainly because only a few stores sold school supplies during that time. In 1948, Typhoon Gene entered the Philippines destroying dozens of houses and property including the Ramos’. Their house and store were taken down and all the merchandise soaked following the typhoon. But this did not bring down the Ramos couple. They

Filipino businesswoman (born 1923)

Maria Socorro Cancio Ramos (born 23 September 1923) is a Filipino businesswoman. She is the co-founder of National Book Store, the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines.

Biography

Maria Socorro Cancio Ramos was born on 23 September 1923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. She grew up in a rich entrepreneurial family, she began assisting in her parents' shop and her grandmother's market stall at a young age. After graduating from Arellano High School, she worked as a shop girl at the Ramos Goodwill Book Store. Socorro's brother Manuel married one of the daughters of the Ramos family, leading to the opening of a new bookshop on Escolta Street in 1940, located on the ground floor of Panciteria National. José Ramos was put in charge and asked Socorro to come and work for him. The store was called National Book Store. Despite facing opposition from her family, Socorro married José shortly thereafter.

During the Japanese occupation, many of the American books were hidden and the couple mainly sold office supplies, soap, and flip flops. However, during the Battle of Manila in 1945, their store went up in flames and they had to start over with the stash of hidden books. Unfortunately, three years later, disaster struck again when a typhoon again destroyed the rebuilt store at its new Rizal Avenue location. Nevertheless, the National Book Store was once again reconstructed, this time with a mezzanine.

Over time, the store expanded. New branches were opened at the intercession of the three children of Socorro and Jose. The company became a real family business and grew into a chain of bookstores with branches throughout the country. In the 1990s, the chain had about 50 branches. Twenty years later, there were 145. The National Book Store became the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines and one of the largest companies in the Philippine retail industry.

Ramos turned 100 in Se