Artist Robert Alejandro, the ‘ro’ in Papemelroti, dies
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MANILA, Philippines – Robert Alejandro, the Filipino graphic artist behind iconic stationery store Papemelroti, has died, the store’s Facebook page announced on Tuesday, November 5.
Robert is one of the five Alejandro siblings — Patsy, Peggy, Meldy, and Tina are the others — after whom parents Corit and Benny named the store when it opened its first branch in Ali Mall in Cubao in 1976.
The siblings would eventually help out in the business. According to a blog post on the Papemelroti website, soon after the store opened, they “were making their own paper dolls, decorating box dollhouses with clippings from old catalogs, drawing, and doing other crafts.”
“From this background, it was natural for the children to help out in the family business, starting with painting figurines, and hammering wooden plaques to give them a distinctive ‘antique’ look.”
