Spiderman, Superman, Cat Woman, Batman, Rambo and many other super heroes in the form of giant sculptures have become both permanent dwellers and icons that have brought life to Jl. Cihampelas since 1989. These icons are just colorful eye-catchers to attract visitors and tourists to drop into the 23 shops there, of which about 80 percent sell clothes and various denim items.

Although this one-way street, measuring only about two kilometers long and six meters wide, is crowded with vehicles and has an irregular footpath, thousands of tourists are sure to stop at Cihampelas on weekends and public holidays.

"I look for jeans and delectable dishes. Or just hang out at the mall," said Sindy Anugrah, a Jakarta resident who has made Jl. Cihampelas his second favorite place to visit in Bandung after Jl. Dago.

Various apparel offered at prices ranging from Rp 5,000 to hundreds of thousands of rupiah are sold at the shops lining Jl. Cihampelas. This area offers virtually everything that a tourist could be interested in buying, such as brassieres and imported lingerie, various kinds of bags, clothing and sandals. Also found there is a shop selling Harley Davidson merchandise and a leather shop selling clothing and accessories, often donned by country western fans who dress up like American cowboys. In addition, tourists can also visit Ampera, a well-known Sudanese restaurant, dozens of cake shops selling snacks unique to Bandung or Fatmawati fried chicken restaurant, which also has a branch in Jakarta.

Half-way along Jl. Cihampelas is Karya Umbi, a shop established in 1950 that sells various kinds of crisps made of cassava, sweet potato, potato, yam and bananas. The shops also sells cookies.

There are also hundreds of sidewalk vendors selling various cheap wares such as stones for rings, sandals, glasses and air rifles.

Cihampelas Walk (Ciwalk), a mall that has preserved the original old trees in its design and followed the contour of the land, has caused increased traffic congestion in the area since it was opened in 2004. Ciwalk, where there is a 21 Theater, is one of popular hangouts for Bandung's youngsters.

Many years back, few people would have thought that Cihampelas would be as crowded as it is now.

It was Henry Husada, a Bandung-born furniture businessman, who became interested in developing Cihampelas into a shopping destination back in 1989 by opening a shop called Korek Api Jeans. The establishment of Henry's shop began to dispel the image of Cihampelas as a road lined with shops selling run-of-the-mill jeans and photocopy stores (many schools and campuses are found along this road and use their services), all operational since 1984.

"From the very beginning, we, fellow merchants, agreed to make this area a center for jeans trading in order to remind people that Bandung is still a center of fashion and a place where there are a lot of creative people," Henry told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Tuesday.

To this end, a smart and effective trick was employed to divert the attention of tourists and Bandung residents away from the shopping bustle in Pasar Baru or Cibaduyut footwear industrial center by creating "icons" to breathe life into this street and at the same time drive its business wheel. On weekdays alone, he said, Cihampelas can attract between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors.

"I designed these super hero figures as an art capable of turning this area into a shopping and tourist site," said Henry, who has expanded his business in such a way that in the span of almost 19 years he now owns 15 of the 23 jeans shops lining this road. In June 2008, Henry will open three new jeans shops on this road and will therefore break the record as the owner of 18 outlets.

Henry said that his endeavor to increase the hustle and bustle along Cihampelas as a tourist site is not intended merely to earn billions of rupiah, but rather to open up more employment opportunities in view of the increasing unemployment rate in Bandung municipality. At present, Henry's business employs over 1,000 people, mostly as shop assistants. He also offers marketing services for products from small and medium businesses. Hundreds of small and medium business undertakings producing jeans, T-shirts, socks, footwear, various kinds of clothing and hats do business with Henry. About 70 percent of the products sold at Henry's shops are local products while the remaining 30 percent are imported from Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand and China.

The main complaint of pedestrians walking along Cihampelas is that the footpath is not level and is therefore uncomfortable to walk along. Another complaint is that parking is very limited.

"I must go all out to keep Cihampelas bustling with visitors. Along with the municipality administration, we are ready to revamp this area. Hundreds of sidewalk vendors will be given space in front of each of our shops. In addition, the footpath will also be made more comfortable for visitors," Henry said.

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