Hello, friends especially travelers!
Last Saturday Mom and I went to the oldest, first shopping center building in my city which had just finished their totally renovation and re-opened since few days ago. The cost for this total renovation took a lot but the government themselves didn’t want to remove or change some of essential things there because they had high historical values. What made us curious was the news that really boomed recently about this place in my city through social medias of course.
A Bit History
The building built based on the idea of our first former president. It has already opened since 1962. The name of this building, Sarinah, named after the name of one of the caregiver of the first president. And the building had a purpose to facilitate retail trade activities and to drive the economic growth of my beloved country, Indonesia.
When we arrived there at at 09.55 am at their side entrance, we could see some others customers were waiting for the building to open. The building opens at 10 am, so we also needed to wait. I took some photos of their outlook.
Sarinah Building, after the renovation and re-opening…
Bike Parking Area
Their yard was quite large with some bike parking lots.
Food Truck
In front of their building they had a café in a truck (yellow color behind us).
Finally it was 10 am, so we could enter their building from their south lobby. The lobby was crowded because many customers already waited even before us.
The Entrance
We needed to scan the QR code of the government application to enter the building, like usually, but they didn’t too strict with it, they even let my mother came in without scanned any QR code because I already scanned the QR code in my application.
The South Lobby
The lobby where we entered was bright and wide, and it was located right in front of transjakarta shelter bus, a mass transportation choice in my city.
Not far from the lobby, a bakery which supposed to be a restaurants’s part, opened.
Unfortunately, the restaurant itself hasn’t opened yet because the renovation hadn't done yet so it was still under renovation.
The Museum
The museum itself also located in the same floor of the lobby. All we needed to do was only walking to the back, and there it was.
What they said museum was actually exhibition of the pictures that showed the history of this building. They showed the pictures of the building years by years, era by era.
1962, 1970, 1980
1990-2000
2022
You could see that so many persons took the photos there.
Also still near this museum area, there was a long large stone sculpture which showed the old era of our country. It showed how our country did the land cultivating in the pass, even it showed oxen too, to show that it helped us to plough the land.
The Food Stores
Anyway, this building combined popular brands of our local food. Some brands that were popular in Bali, Bandung, and other cities in my country, opened their branches in this building. You could see some unique interior and theme they had..
This restaurant had Indonesian old tempo style in bright white décor color.
While this café on the 2nd floor, had the big gunungan wayang, which was used in our authentic traditional wayang (puppet) showing performance.
You would also could find a legendary cake stall from Bandung in the basement floor. Look at those people there, we even couldn’t buy some because they already had so many customers to handle.
Actually there was a big but not yet opened food court one also in the basement floor, I wonder what would happened when they opened, might be so many people came there too.
Anyway, about the food there, we already tried two of them, a café and also a restaurant and I would like to share the details with you all tomorrow, so stay tune!
The Department Store
At front of it, you could take some photos too.
With some words of our president
And also with some wayang (our traditional puppets) and some of the department store things there on a big wood table.
The Department Store they had, majority showed our unique tradition of batik fabrics. Still it showed the short explanation of each kind of the batik, like a museum..
Fashion Department
Shoes
Only here, they sold batik sport shoes..
Bags
Some bags, sandals and shoes made from yarn crocheting. Made me excited to learn crochet more!
Dolls
Also from batik! I remember some of the batik doll I had when I was a child… Nostalgia for me to see these batik dolls.
They also had some unique interior style, red steel cubical with traditional things inside. Even I didn’t get the point of these showings, LOL!
Actually inside was good, I mean it was clean and neat, bright and airy. In this place you could also find museum, department store and also food restaurants, but the problem would be not all the stores and restaurants there already opened yet. So I think it would be much better, if the re-opening includes all the tenants inside. Anyway we still enjoyed our visit there, wanna visit Sarinah too?
Thanks for reading my article, hope you enjoy it and stay tune for more CRAFT things from me!
Sarinah Building
11th, M.H Thamrin Street
Central Jakarta
Open daily 10 AM – 9 PM
A bit about the author
She works in a bank but she interests in CRAFT (CRaft, Art, Food and Travel). To pursue her art passion she does the cross stitch, embroidery, handsewing, crafts, crochet and also draws. Find hers in https://www.redbubble.com/people/de-creartique/shop?asc=u and https://decreartique.threadless.com/designs . Also find her cute collectibles pixel cat pictures here https://opensea.io/collection/pixelcryptocat .