Weekly 5: Competition is tough at informal business centers

Paper Edition | Page: 9

(JP/Fikri Z. Muhammadi)

Birds of a feather flock together, an adage that may fit the phenomenon in some streets in Jakarta where particular small businesses concentrate. These places have been Jakartans’ favorites for a long time despite the presence of more established companies offering sophisticated services. And the challenge is tough for the businesses as they compete to offer the lowest prices to beat their neighbors. So, take heed: Shop around and compare the prices before buying. Below are five of these specialist business centers:

Jl. Kembang Sepatu
This street in Central Jakarta located near Senen station, has been known as the center for new and used electronic goods since the 1980s.

Yud, 60, said he had been selling sound systems in the street since 1988. Pointing his fingers to the stores adjacent to his, he said the area had been one a center for the new and used electronic goods market long before he started his business there.

Vendors in this market are also willing to buy your old electronic items. The market offers various cheap electrical items: from sound systems, televisions and radios to laptops and computers. The choices are wide.

Jl. Kalibaru
Many of the stores or kiosks in this area in Central Jakarta open around the clock. It offers printing services on paper (like wedding invitations or flyers), or banners, T-shirts, pins, mugs and many more.

The outlets here are divided into two types: those with big stores, which usually specialize in paper products and banners; and the others that offer services related to garment manufacturing.

The workers at stores producing emblazoned T-shirts and other garment products work nonstop if they have a backlog of orders to finish. They live and sleep in their stores and wait for “sudden orders” which they begin work on immediately.

Unfortunately, the small street is also known as a shortcut to reach Senen market and often gets jammed with cars trying to pass through it.

Jl. Condet Raya
Perhaps not many of us realize that a small road near the Pusat Grosir Cililitan (PGC) shopping center in East Jakarta offers dozens of perfume sellers. If you are in need of fragrances, either containing alcohol or not, just come to this place.

According to Eni, one of the storekeepers there, the street was already famous as a center for perfumes when she was in elementary school during the 1990s.

The area is inhabited by many people of Arabic descent, who she said might have inspired the others to start the business. Some of the stores sell imported goods from Arab countries as well.

Jl. Salemba
From students to office workers, this place provides a helping hand to those with a huge load on their desks but who do not have anyone to assist. A line of stores on Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta, offers services related to typing and document printing.

Several universities are located nearby, like the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine and Persada Indonesia YAI University’s School of Engineering, which perhaps is the reason behind the plethora of service providers.

Jl. Pramuka
Rather than other medicinal-supplies centers in the city, Wildan Purnaditto, 24, prefers Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta to find hard-to-come-by drugs or Chinese medications.

When he goes there, he just stands near the location and then an “agent” will approach and ask him what he is looking for.

Mention the drug brand, or simply explain about your illness, and they will know what you need.

The market is in a three-story building, all of which are involved in medications. Some street vendors are also situated around the building.