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Youngsters reviving traditional markets
Traditional delicacies: A young man wearing a lion dance costume entertains visitors along Gg
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Traditional delicacies:: A young man wearing a lion dance costume entertains visitors along Gg. Gloria, or Gloria Alley, in Petak Sembilan, Glodok in Jakarta. The area is a bustling, traditional trading hub that has grown increasingly appealing to Jakartaâs intrepid young foodies. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira) (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Traditional delicacies: A young man wearing a lion dance costume entertains visitors along Gg. Gloria, or Gloria Alley, in Petak Sembilan, Glodok in Jakarta. The area is a bustling, traditional trading hub that has grown increasingly appealing to Jakarta's intrepid young foodies. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
It is not an everyday sight in metropolitan Jakarta: young urbanites flocking to traditional markets over the weekend, but it has become all the hype now in the capital city.
The recently trendy Santa Market and legendary Mayestik Market in South Jakarta are increasingly appealing more to youngsters, while intrepid culinary buffs frequent Petak Sembilan Market in West Jakarta.
Santa Market looks slightly different these days and the one thing that stands out is the presence of youngsters dressed quite smartly relative to the outfits of regular traditional-market visitors and vendors.
'I'm not sure what interests them so much, but youngsters flock into that coffee kiosk on Saturdays and even occupy the stairs because of the limited space,' said Warsih, 64, who sells Indonesian homemade food out of a 4-square-meter space at the market.
A Bunch of Caffeine Dealers (ABCD) is among the attractions that draw young urbanites into Santa Market. The coffee-training kiosk, which offers classes on such things as brewing and cupping on weekdays, is open to the public on weekends, serving coffee from growers throughout the world, from Brazil to Hong Kong.
There is also a vinyl-record store beside ABCD, allowing visitors to enjoy music as they sip their coffee, while a vintage store across the coffee shop offers visitors an eye-candy selection of goods.
Though most of the 350 kiosks in the non-air conditioned market's topmost floor are yet to open, all of them have been fully rented by young entrepreneurs hoping to launch their various businesses soon. 'Word-of-mouth has drawn the crowds to this place,' said Hendri Kurniawan, who co-founded and teaches at ABCD, adding that the training schedule was fully booked for the next two months.
ABCD and the other stores that target young urbanites have made Warsih and other vendors in Santa Market hope that the 'new visitors' might somehow take a walk around the market and perhaps buy something from their outlets.
Most of the kiosks on the market's top floor are the sorts of businesses that are not usually found operating in a traditional market.
This, if it were replicated in traditional markets elsewhere in the country, could narrow the social gap between the rich and the poor in Southeast Asia's largest economy, and spur trade at traditional markets, where goods from staple foods to clothes and hardware are sold at negotiable prices and the art of haggling forms a communication culture in society.
At another notable traditional market that has attracted young Jakarta urbanites, Mayestik Market, Amanda, 28, is seen running errands. The visual-graphic designer is a new regular visitor to Mayestik and she now buys some of her daily needs there, from soap to cosmetics, after initially visiting with the intention of purchasing the needs for her wedding preparations a couple of months ago.
'At first I was skeptical. I thought a traditional market would not be good enough to meet my needs. I was used to shopping at malls,' said Amanda. 'But now I think you can look for everything here ['¦] because it has been renovated, the market is now comfortable for us to walk around. The image of a muddy and hot traditional market no longer applies.'
Middle- to upper-income members of society do not normally spend much time at traditional markets as they opt for the more comfortable, air conditioned supermarkets or convenience stores or simply leave errand shopping to their housemaids.
However, Sarah, 29, likes to hop from one market to another in search of good food, especially in Petak Sembilan Market, which is renowned for its legendary food stalls that have been operating for decades.
Petak Sembilan, located in the heart of Jakarta's old Chinatown, Glodok, boasts Chinese-Indonesian families who sell not only traditional peranakan Chinese food but also traditional Betawi dishes. A famous alley in the area is called Gloria, where the renowned Tak Kie Iced Coffee shop has been open since 1927.
'At traditional markets we get food that isn't available elsewhere,' said Sarah, who was proud to announce her latest bargain at Senen Market: a stove.
The revitalization of traditional markets has been among the government's priority programs, with the Trade Ministry spending Rp 1.9 trillion (US$159 million) from 2011 through 2013 to face-lift and modernize 447 traditional markets, ministry data shows. The project is expected to provide more convenient places for buyers that will in turn boost vendors' incomes.
Acknowledging the trend, Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi and Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said other markets should follow the models of Santa and Mayestik, which they called 'modern people's markets'.
'It has become a trend. There's coffee. Food will follow. And other things,' Lutfi said, with Bayu adding: 'I now enjoy going to Mayestik as the market is now fully air-conditioned with escalators easing people's visits there.'
Skeptics, however, still question the sustainability of this trend and whether it can really bolster trade and encourage more people to shop at traditional markets.
'The hype is only upstairs. People still don't come down here [to the food section that sells meat, vegetables, chili, onions etc.]. They go to supermarkets or convenience stores to meet such needs,' Asih, 48, who sells staple foods, said of the youngsters at Santa Market.
