Middle-class flea market to open

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)