Traditional Jakarta market facing change

MASHURI, 32, stood up from his plastic chair when a veiled woman came over to investigate fresh cow ribs hanging at his meat stall at Mayestik Market, in south Jakarta.

When he told the woman the price of the ribs, she quickly inspected them and shook her head, they were too expensive.

After a minute of haggling, the vendor agreed to sell at the requested price provided the woman buy two kilograms of meat.

Located on Jalan Kyai Maja in Kebayoran Baru, Mayestik Market currently has 1,200 stalls operating in its 6,500-square-meter area.

Long known as a place to find tailors, beads and a range of fabrics, the market, which opened in 1981, is also home to hundreds of food, fruit and vegetable sellers.

Like other traditional markets, it is also common to find lively interaction between shoppers and sellers, such as the ritual of bargaining.

As a way to attract more shoppers and help local vendors survive threats from supermarket and hypermart competitors, city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya has announced that it will renovate Mayestik Market this year.

The renovation project, expected to be completed in 2011, will transform the market into a four-story building, with a parking lot at the top and in the basement to solve the long time on-road parking problems.

It is also reported that Pasar Jaya will relocate Mayestik vendors to the 1,500sqm Tebah Park, located behind the market, to make room for the construction project.

However, with no clarity about the relocation schedule, many vendors are worried about their future.

Mashuri, for example, said he was planning to run his business from home after learning that the would-be relocation site for his stall was too small and in a poor location.

He said he had told his customers to order meat by phone and have the meat delivered.

Samil, whoe runs a vegetables stall, had a different plan. Having run his business since 1997, the father of two said he had no option but to take the new place provided by the market operator for the relocation.

"I'll just follow the other vendors. If most decide to move, I'll move."

He said his customers not only came from the nearby Kebayoran area, but also from Ciledug and Serpong, Tangerang.

Loyal Mayestik Market customers support the renovation as long as it doesn't affect their access to the stalls.

"The main problem of this place is its limited parking lot. If the construction will make the traffic here worse, it better not to start too soon," said Tati Sriniati, a Ciledug resident.

For the past 21 years, Tati, who was born and raised in nearby Pakubuwono area, has visited and shopped in the market at least once every three days.

"My parents used to bring me here when they were shopping. Afterwards, we always ate either mutton satay or meatballs in front of the market," said Tati, who moved to Ciledug after getting married.

"That's why I love to go here. There are so many memories."

ANN/Jakarta Post