Cash-strapped Indonesians turn to online Sunday market

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Parahita Satiti, who hopes to get extra income after her office cut her monthly allowance by half during the COVID-19 pandemic, makes traditional Javanese women’s clothings in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Satiti is one of dozens of tenants who joined online events run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Reny Ajeng, center, one of the organizers of Pahingan Sunday Market, packs food made by tenants to shipped to customers in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. Ajeng helps to organize Pahingan Sunday Market, an online event run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta, that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee, to help people to have extra income during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Organizers prepare packages of items to be shipped to customers during Pahingan Sunday Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The online event was run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta, that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee, to help people to have extra income during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Rani Nurwitawati checks her mobile phone as she prepares food for her online customers at her residence in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. After losing her job due after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nurwitawati decided to start selling food from her own kitchen. She found an ally in Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta that runs an online version of the Sunday market providing space for sellers to register online and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, clothings, or coffee. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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An organizer checks the name of tenants who join Pahingan Sunday Market, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The online event was run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta, that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee, to help people to have extra income during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Couriers are silhouetted against a mural as they wait for packages to deliver to customers during Pahingan Sunday Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The online Sunday market event was run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta, that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee, to help people to have extra income during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Organizers prepare packages of items to be delivered to customers during Pahingan Sunday Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The online Sunday market event was run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta, that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee, to help people to have extra income during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Parahita Satiti, who hopes to get extra income after her office cut her monthly allowance by half during the COVID-19 pandemic, arranges traditional Javanese women’s clothings she made in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Satiti is one of dozens of tenants who joined online events run by Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta that provides online space for sellers and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Rani Nurwitawati carries packages of food for her customers as she dropped them at Pahingan Sunday Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. After losing her job due after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nurwitawati decided to start selling food from her own kitchen. She found an ally in Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in Jakarta that runs an online version of the Sunday market providing space for sellers to register online and for buyers to preorder items like traditional snacks, clothings, or coffee. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

By EDNA TARIGAN

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rani Nurwitawati never thought she would lose her job at an Indonesian market research company where she worked for 17 years.

The reality hit months after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The impact is quite big for me,” the 41-year-old said. “My brother lost his job, my sister got a 25% pay cut. And finally, I also lost my job.”

Armed with the knowledge from her former employer that the food and beverage business will survive during the economic downturn, Nurwitawati decided to start selling food from her own kitchen.

She found an ally in Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in South Jakarta that began an online version of the Pahingan Sunday market in August, only days after Nurwitawati lost her job.

The community used to host the Sunday market at its location, but it only accommodated limited tenants. As the pandemic tore through Indonesia, leaving many without income, the artists moved the market online, providing space for sellers to register online while buyers are required to preorder.

Sellers must follow some rules, including offering local artisan products and use minimum plastic packaging.

Aside from providing income for her daily living, Nurwitawati said that the Sunday market is giving her more experience in operating a new business.

“I have learned about networking, got new knowledge, and more people know my products,” she said. “When I joined for the first time, I was really sad because there was only one buyer, after that it increased to more than 10. It was not bad, from less than one 100,000 rupiah ($7) to hundreds of thousands rupiah.”

She prepares baked spaghetti and mango sticky rice.

Parahita Satiti, 37, also joined the Sunday market. She has always dreamed of running a business related to traditional fashion products. She hopes to get extra income after her office cut her monthly allowance by half during the pandemic. She sells traditional Javanese kebaya — women’s upper long-sleeved clothes — and camisole — a loose-fitting sleeveless undergarment — made of Javanese batik cloth.

“This is a new business, but seeing the enthusiasm and orders from the Pahingan Sunday market, I think it will be a promising business for me,” Satiti said.

Reny Ajeng, one of the organizers of the Sunday market, said it’s held once every 35 days, following the five-day Javanese calendar.

Strict social restrictions imposed in Indonesia during the pandemic have stopped the physical market as well as other cultural and art activities at Omah Wulangreh. The online version came to life when Reny and her six friends decided to launch it in early August.

There were 46 tenants who joined the third online event last month. Buyers had one week to preorder item, such as traditional snacks, batik clothes, or coffee. During one week, there were almost 500 items sold, worth about 25 million rupiah ($1,770).

“To be honest, we are really happy,” Reny said. “Our first mission was to make an online Sunday market since we can do nothing offline during the pandemic. But it turns out, enthusiasm is high, so many sellers are having high hopes.”

___ “One Good Thing” is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times — stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories at https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing