Stores offer 'designer' shoes at affordable prices
Stores offer 'designer' shoes at affordable prices
JAKARTA (JP): You like the designer shoes featured in a latest
issue of a glossy fashion magazine, but you are not willing to
spend millions of rupiah on them when there are more important
things to buy.
If you want to wear such shoes but not spend an outrageous sum
on them, you may want to check this spot near the Perbanas
(National Banking) College in Karet Setia Budi, Kuningan, South
Jakarta.
It is obviously not a posh place. Here you will find more than
30 modest kiosks, mostly making footwear on order.
This place is quite popular, particularly among university
students and those working in the nearby high-rise buildings on
Jl. Rasuna Said.
The Sidik family, who are native Jakartans, pioneered the
footwear business in the area more than 15 years ago, according
to Jami, the storekeeper for the Boersa kiosk.
There were only four footwear kiosks at that time. Today there
are almost 10 times the number, reflecting the thriving business.
In addition to the footwear kiosks, there are also luggage and
clothes kiosks, beauty parlors, food stalls and Internet kiosks.
Various kinds of handmade footwear are displayed in the
kiosks, which function as showrooms. The workshops are located in
different places, including Condet, East Jakarta and nearby
Anggrek.
The kiosks, each about 16 square meters, have something in
common. They simply display rows and rows of footwear on the
shelves with no decoration.
"We can copy any design. Just give us a sample or picture,"
said Jami.
Several Perbanas students told The Jakarta Post they often
ordered for copies of the latest type of sandals or shoes.
However, copies of the footwear do not come with a brand name,
tag or label.
"I usually bring pictures taken from magazines to the
storekeeper," said Deitra, 19, adding that she wants to look
fancy although her allowance as a university student is small.
Deitra's friend Adisti said she simply described the design
she wanted to the storekeeper.
"I like some of the shoes in the malls but I can't afford
them. So, I make its copy here. This is one way you can wear
"Bally" shoes," she remarked with a laugh.
She warned that sometimes the shoes or sandals made were not
the same as in the picture or description given. However, most
kiosks will redo them to your taste. There is also an after sales
service for the shoes.
What about the quality of these "Bally" shoes?
Of course, they are not as good as the original but "the price
matches its quality" as Adisti puts it.
The price of women's sandals and shoes made of synthetic
material range from Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000, while those made
from leather starts at Rp 100,000. The price of men's footwear
made from synthetic material starts at Rp 80,000, while those
made from leather starts at Rp 150,000.
However, prices are negotiable.
Jami said the footwear business is not stable. On a good day,
he can achieve a turnover of Rp 6 million (US$600), but when the
business is slow, he earns only a few hundred thousand rupiah
from about 10 orders a day.
When the economic crisis began a few years ago, the footwear
business here, like other businesses, was affected. But it
managed to survive.
Jami said the business survived because shoemakers managed to
keep prices low as they used local material.
He also believed the shoemakers' skills kept customers coming
back for more.(04)