Klewer market polishes its image
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java
It is dawn but in the heart of Surakarta, Central Java, the business day is well under way.
One by one traders open their kiosks in Klewer market, while porters busily lug stacks of fabric outside the market, believed to be the largest textile market in Central Java.
Klewer is inseparable part of the city, playing an important role in the lives of many of the town's over 500,000 residents.
With an estimated turnover of Rp 7 billion daily -- according to a recent survey conducted by the local branch of Bank Indonesia of 11 bank branches located in the market complex -- Klewer might be the second biggest textile market in the country, after Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta.
According to the head of Klewer's vendor association, Hafidz Safari, 50, the market is known throughout the province.
In fact, he said, some 70 percent of visitors and buyers at the market came from outside of Surakarta, especially from eastern parts of Indonesia like East Nusa Tenggara and Kalimantan.
Klewer's popularity, he said, was the result of its particular character, which could not be found in other traditional markets in Indonesia. Klewer is a treasure trove of batik -- from handmade batik to modern printed cloth, and lurik, the traditional Javanese striped woven cloth.
Prices are also far cheaper than in other markets. Printed batik, for instance, is sold for between Rp 20,000 and Rp 100,000, while lurik is sold for Rp 10,000 to Rp 15,000. Handmade batik, however, is more expensive, from Rp 500,000 up, depending on the kind of cloth used, either modest mori (unbleached plain cloth) or silk.
If everything goes as expected, soon Klewer market -- built on 13,461,68 square meters of land in the 1970s and home to 2,064 registered traders -- might not only be a center for batik, but could also become a tourist spot. The market is strategically located, near the Surakarta Palace complex and Agung Mosque.
The head of Surakarta's market agency, Triyanto, said the palace, mosque and market had become the main trademarks of the town.
"From our experience, tourists visiting the palace will certainly drop by at the mosque and then go on to Klewer. The three places have become one," Triyanto said.
Soon, as part of a plan to improve the town's image and attract more tourists, a guide book of the town and its tourist spots is being prepared. The administration is also considering working with travel agents to promote the town.
Triyanto stressed the need to improve Klewer market's image and looks in order to improve the comfort of visitors.
"The mushrooming number of sidewalk vendors and parking problems are daily matters that should be dealt with immediately or the area won't become an ideal tourist site," he said.