Senen book haven moves to Depok

JAKARTA (JP): Skyrocketing rents in Senen Market, Central Jakarta, have forced about 30 used book traders there to move to the University of Indonesia campus at Depok, West Java.

The Senen Traders Cooperatives, which oversees the traders, have raised the rent from Rp 150,000 (US$19) per square meter a year before the crisis began last July to Rp 350,000 now.

"Business is sluggish (in Senen) and they make us pay more for the space," trader Binsar Hutajulu told Antara Monday. "That's why we moved here (to Depok) two weeks ago."

Hutajulu said the traders moved their business to the campus with the help of the university's student senate.

"We are required to pay only Rp 10,000 a week for the space. If we use tables to display the books, they will charge us an additional Rp 2,000 per table," he said.

The traders have reported turnover increasing by up to 40 percent since they moved to the campus.

Students say the booksellers' presence had greatly helped them find cheap books.

They said the prices of the books now available on their doorstep were between 35 percent and 70 percent cheaper than those in the market.

They said they could have a used Longman English dictionary for Rp 20,000 on the campus compared to Rp 35,000 in the market. (pan)