Exlusive Jl. Braga looks to change its image
By Kafil Yamin
BANDUNG (JP): Ask your Bandung friends of average means to take a stroll down Jl. Braga, and their likely response will be a polite rejection.
"That is not my kind of place," could well be their reason.
The street's famed exclusiveness is revealed in the lyrics of Hetty Koes Endang's song, which translate as "Braga street has its class/the horse-pulled cart is barred from passing through".
For decades, the street in the West Java capital has been renowned as the place where the well-heeled go to shop.
Bandung's famed jeans, shoes, handbags and other women's clothes accessories are not found here. Find inexpensive but quality jeans on Jl. Cihampelas. Good shoes in Cibaduyut.
But if you want high-quality European products, Jl. Braga is the place.
During Dutch colonial rule, Braga was an exclusive area for Europeans and was the only boutique center in the Dutch East Indies.
It was then well-known for its Amsterdam-oriented fashion to distinguish it from Paris fashion.
After independence, the image of Braga lived on.
Despite its fame, Bandungers often draw a blank on what the street has to offer.
"I have no idea how much it costs to buy a shirt there," said Maman.
Ten years ago, he went window shopping and saw a shirt priced at Rp 200,000. "You can imagine what the price is now."
Bandung deputy mayor Didi Kurniadi agreed the street was a haunt of the elite. Many Bandung residents, he said, may have only passed through there, never stopping to see the wares.
"I am astonished to learn that a friend of mine, who is a middle-ranking government official, has never even stepped into one of shops on Jalan Braga because he thinks he could not afford to buy anything there."
He said the exclusive image should be gradually reduced because "Braga should be much closer to common people".
Braga fashion merchant David B. Sudiono said stories of people intimidated by the street's lofty reputation were understandable.
"I can say that 99 percent of the stuff here is high quality imported products that only a few people can afford. You cannot expect middle-ranking government officials to buy a pair of shorts at Rp 200,000 or so."
But go-getters are pushing for Jl. Braga to come down a peg or two. Saung Bandung, a group of hotel managers and tourist agents, Bandung Heritage Conservation Society, the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) and the city administration have forged a long-term cooperation to revitalize the street.
Bazaar
The first step is to draw public attention to this district through a one-day bazaar, to be held today, with the lure of heavy discounts. Adrialeke of Saung Bandung said shops along the street had agreed to give 30 percent to 40 percent.
This first move includes the pulling down of large billboards, which, according to Francis Affandi of the Bandung Heritage, are not suitable with Braga's original style and Art Deco architecture.
"The billboards should be smaller in design to conform with the classic environment of the town," she told The Jakarta Post.
The buildings are now being repainted in the runup to the bazaar, with colors that would bring old memories of the place back to life.
The next step would be to return the buildings to their original design, which would not be a big problem "because the old buildings actually do not change. The owners only make some additional elements to adjust them to contemporary climate", Affandi said.
She assured that in the next few months, "you will see a Braga as it was in 1940s -- Braga tempo doeloe (olden times)".
David B. Sudiono said that Braga's heyday peaked during 1970s to 1980s, when the economy was sound and Indonesia gained from the oil bonanza.
Times are tougher now. Since the country's political turmoil, the hotel occupancy rate in Bandung is down to 27 percent from the usual rate of 60 percent to 70 percent. Sales are also down, but on Jalan Braga, this started in the early 1990s.
With the rapid invasion of international malls and retail business in the following years, Braga's shine began to fade. Shopping malls, where prices are much more competitive, started to beat out Braga's excellence.
Goods diversity and variety offered by the contemporary shopping venues are among the main factors in Braga's decline.
"If one goes to BIP or Matahari, he or she has more options to buy. One can also have various kinds of food, from pecel (traditional salads) to fast food, which you cannot enjoy in Braga," Sudiono said.
Another factor is parking space shortage. Half of Braga's road space is used now for parking. Traffic is always heavy and people are often forced to park in other areas and then walk the distance to the street.
According to Dian Anggraeni, a staff member of the Bandung Hotel Managers Association, Braga's makeover is part of the Bandung revitalization campaign in anticipation of heading off a further decline in visitors.
"Despite its undisputed safe situation, Bandung has been greatly affected by the recent riots and its reputation as one of the country's favorite tourist destinations is diminishing."