Cheap and fashionable: Antonie Monroe arranges merchandise at his shop at the Tanah Abang textile wholesale market in Central Jakarta. JP/P.J. LeoGrand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta offer visitors nearly all the world’s most expensive products; Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci are all available, as are top restaurants.

As many are getting ready for the long weekend beginning on Thursday, it is worth considering a visit to another shopping center, this one only 1 kilometer from those malls.

Pasar Tanah Abang (Tanah Abang Market) is famous, and not only in Jakarta. It has an international reputation as a wholesale center for textiles, clothes, shoes and batik, to mention just a few examples.

As in other markets in the world, the presence of Chinese products is evident. Some traders say Chinese imports dominate the trading at the market, as i...