Middle-class flea market to open

JAKARTA (JP): Middle-class shoppers will soon have the option to look for bargains at a special flea market offering new and used wares, a noted model said on Thursday.

Ratih Sanggarwati said the Expose modeling agency would operate a flea market every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Sept. 13 at the Expose parking lot on Jl. Iskandarsyah Raya in South Jakarta.

Most middle-class Jakartans believe the idea of a flea market is something beneath them, she said, since most people thought such markets were intended mainly for the poor.

"In some European countries, flea markets are the best shopping places for either new or secondhand things with more or less a similar quality with things sold at an ordinary store," said Ratih, who is also one of the owners of Expose.

She said that most flea markets in the city aimed at attracting low-income shoppers, while middle-class people often preferred to buy new things at department stores and let their unused possessions gather dust in their garages.

Ratih gave an example, saying that a household with two blenders could sell one of them at a flea market while shopping for other needs at the same time.

Expose's flea market will offer both new and secondhand brand goods, Ratih said.

"We will provide tents for sellers to display their new or used goods," said Dessy Mulasari, one of the organizers of the event, at a media briefing.

Dessy said 20 sellers had already expressed an intention to market their goods each week.

She, however, was unable to give details on how low prices would be, saying that it would depend on the kind of wares offered and their condition. (emf)