Ex-Barito vendors begin businesses anew after eviction

Agnes Winarti ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 03/15/2008 5:41 AM  |  City

After their eviction in January from Jl. Barito in South Jakarta, flower and fish vendors have moved to several new locations around the municipality, striving to maintain their hard-earned business success.

Florist Achya, 54, and four other flower vendors have rented a 350-square-meter house on Jl. KH. Ahmad Dahlan which they have divided into five kiosks.

They spent some Rp 150 million on rent and renovations, Achya said.

"Our sales are still 60 percent of our previous earnings in Barito, but I am glad that around 75 percent of our old customers know our new place," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday at his new stall.

Achya had run his business for 25 years on Jl. Barito before being evicted.

"The good thing is, this place isn't far from our old place. We have gained some new customers, but not many," said Achya, whose two children's university education was paid for with money from the flower business.

Another florist, Tedy, 44, who has carried on his mother's florist business for 12 years now, has a new location on Jl. Raya Margaguna near South Jakarta's Pondok Indah Mall.

He is managing an 850-square-meter exhibition area for 35 florists and 15 fish vendors -- colleagues from Barito.

Unlike Achya, around 75 percent of Tedy's consumers are new.

"At least 30 new regular customers come here, especially on weekends," Teddy said, adding that on weekends the exhibition area would sometimes stay open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"We don't have to pay rent here, but share electricity and cleaning costs. Each of us paid Rp 2 million for renovations," he said.

There were a total 51 florists and 54 fish vendors evicted from Jl. Barito. Aside from those who have moved their businesses to these two locations, several florists have temporarily moved to a residential area on Jl. Ragatnata.

Unable to find new places, many vendors eventually accepted the 2-by-2-square meter kiosks near the Radio Dalam traditional market, offered by the city administration.

"Around 80 percent of the fish vendors, who didn't have enough money to pay rent, eventually chose to move to the kiosks, after a month of uncertainty when they were evicted," said Erwin, a coordinator of the ex-Barito fish vendors at Radio Dalam traditional market.

Some 53 spaces were made available for fish vendors and 51 for florists, he said.

Each vendor must pay around Rp 1.3 million to market operator PD Pasar Jaya for an occupancy certificate, valid for 20 years.

During the Post's visit to Radio Dalam market midday Thursday, many fish vendors were open for business, but there were very few customers around.

Only around half the kiosks designated for florists were occupied, mostly by attendants claiming to work for the real owners who were nowhere to be seen.

Despite low sales, difficult access and heavy traffic at the Radio Dalam site, Erwin, who said his sales had plunged by 75 percent, was still optimistic about business.

"All we need now are more road signs and banners telling customers about our new location."

For the time being, Erwin is selling only fish food, to cut his losses.

Another fish vendor at Radio Dalam, Nano, said most of his customers only came to buy fish food.

"I took part in an 11-day fish exhibition at a mall in Depok, but it did not go well. It was not the right market, so I decided to follow other vendors and open a kiosk here."

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