Taman Puring reopens but faces uncertain future

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fans of secondhand items made their way back to Taman Puring flea market in South Jakarta on Wednesday, although the vendors and city administration are still unsure of its future.

Well known for selling used goods, such as cellular phones, water pumps, electronics and shoes, the market, located in the heart of Taman Puring, attracts the serious shopper as well as the curious.

Visitors can also find a wide variety of eclectic items, often one-of-a-kinds, when they are in the market for an outdated pair of glasses, an antique clock, a classic watch or funky clothes from another decade.

Customers come from all walks of life, such as senior actor Pong Harjatmo, who was seen perusing the stalls for bargains in the newly renovated flea market.

"I find the flea market is in a much better condition than before. The ground won't be wet the next time it rains as the floor has been raised and the ventilation is also much better," he told The Jakarta Post while he hunted through the items at a stall selling assorted clothes.

Pong said he has been a regular costumer since 1978 when he was first married and rented a house in the nearby Radio Dalam area.

"The vendors and I have since developed a mutual trust. I know many of them personally.

"They'll tell me whether an item is of a good quality or not."

He represents the typical loyal customer who becomes deeply attached to the vendors.

Many housewives reported difficulties in finding a service center to fix their broken electronic appliances after a fire broke out last June at the flea market and it had to be temporarily closed.

The city administration decided to keep it closed for renovations that were integrated with the park's remodeling.

The project drew criticism from environmentalists as the location was meant to be a green area.

However, the city administration went on with the plan.

Governor Sutiyoso reopened the flea market while reminding them that it was only a temporary site for two years.

But even the governor said he was not sure.

"Let's see after two years what we will do with this flea market. Ideally it should return to its original function as a garden.

"But leaving a current location is also a difficult task as I would have to provide a place with similar advantages."

To remind visitors of its temporary situation, the building has a knockdown steel frame that facilitates quick and easy assembly and disassembly. The stalls can also be quickly disassembled.

Construction work was financed by the vendors themselves with a total budget of Rp 10 million (US$1,123), which gave them 710 stalls.

The building is 2,550 square meters in size and sits on a 3,545-square-meter plot of land. The park has an area of 1.2 hectares.

Each stall sells for Rp 15 million and the vendors can pay for it in cash or in installments with a down payment of Rp 7.5 million.

Most vendors choose to pay in installments as they do not have enough money, even though the interest rates are extremely high for them.

"We have to pay Rp 400,000 per month for three years, which comes out to an interest rate of 33 percent per annum," said Marwilis, who has owned a stall selling work tools, such as drills and marble cutters, since the early 1980s.

"It is just outrageous because the total monthly installment is exactly worth the stall's cash value," he said.

Marwilis, however, said he had no other choice but to pay it off in installments, because he still needs money to purchase stock.

"I just hope that more people will come here as the flea market is in a much better condition than before.

"We vendors really have to work hard because the governor said that we only have two years here while our loan at the bank is for three years.

"But I am sure the governor will extend the use of this flea market as he always does."

Similar optimism was also shown by Andre, who has been selling a range of electronic goods since the early 1990s.

"It has been the same case every year -- we get told that we only have one year. Then the city administration extends the license period for another year, and that happens again and again."