When I first heard about Koopwar, I thought the meaning was a store but after asking the staff, koopwar means merchandise. I guess if you speak dutch you'd instantly know what my post mean but it can be transalated, roughly as buying merchandise in lawang sewu. Also, I know it’s not Friday anymore but just because it fits the whole community thing and description, either way, I am going to take you exploring Lawang Sewu Koopwar or Lawang Sewu Merchandise store.

In Semarang, the Dutch influence is quite strong and still present. Not just its architecture but also its food and some languages that are still used to name mostly the food and some iconic places in the city. I visited Lawang Sewu just because it’s iconic and also a must-visit while in the city. The place was really packed especially when it’s the weekend. People from all over the country are going into the place and they didn’t mind queuing in the heat and a brief drizzle. I was slightly anxious because many of the people didn’t wear masks and it was quite stuffy to be surrounded by a lot of people but either way, I did not regret checking out the place.

I know Lawang Sewu because of its notorious horror stories and I grew up watching a horror movie that was filmed in the area. But after visiting the place, it’s actually pretty fine and not horror as the movie made it to be. Among many inside the area that actually attracted my attention was the koopwar place. It was located on the third building adjacent to the main building. The koopwar place isn’t really visible from the garden but somehow, I found myself checking out the place. It wasn’t as packed as the other buildings but occasional strollers and curious people got into it.

I told myself that I won’t be bringing any souvenirs and that it’s going to either clutter my room or my parent’s house. So, my first intention was only strolling around and checking out the merchandise and things that they sell. But you know, sometimes after a good stroll, sometimes the things sort of talk to you. They want to be adopted and bought. So, eventually, you’d get some knick knacks.

A boutique of all Indonesian multicultural items.

In this place there are two exhibition displays. At the first exhibition, there was a lot of Indonesian fashion. They are from different parts of Indonesia and I even heard a conversation between a couple from Sumba and the staff who basically said that the traditional Sumba cloth in that place is way cheaper than from its original place. Their conversation continued even touching on how Sumba marriage tradition is quite expensive. To me, It was interesting to see many traditional fashions from sandals, clothes, fabrics, shirts, headpieces and accessories that are sold in the place. It’s quite complete and very colorful as you can see below. It was a boutique of all Indonesian multicultural items.

Another room that is connected to it displays more Semarang merchandise and specific Lawang Sewu merchandise. In the second room, I mostly see a lot of middle aged men buying stone pestles. It was really odd to see them attracted to that, one even said, “ it’s from real stone, we can make decent sambal (spicy paste) with it”. There are more knick knacks and some shirts that have Semarang or Lawang Sewu printed on them. One that caught my attention the most is the traditional coffee cup and enamelware.

Enamelware

During old times, people used to use enamelware and these days, cafes with an old styled theme used enamel mug to serve their drinks. Enamelware is also quite the signature of Central Java and that’s how people did it during colonial times and even during my grandparents time when they served the guests using enamelware.

Anyway, I am such a sucker for a coffee cup and after a good hour of stroll, I decided to get one. Enamelware in this place was quite colorful and they even have a big jug that people use to store water. All this enamelware was inexpensive and it is quite functional too. I actually asked myself a couple of questions before getting the smallest enamel mug. I think the mug will be my travel companion since they can fit my backpack along with the wooden spoon and fork that I got from the place. I saw enamel mug is also often sold at outdoor adventure stores. So, why not get one with cute prints and cute color!

In the store, they accept various payments and there is no limit if you want to use a card. So, instead of spending cash and though it was a very small purchase I opted for a card. They also have e-payment enabled. So, despite being located in historical places, they are pretty advanced with their payment system. One thing about the place is that they charge extra cents for the paper bag.

After leaving the store, I felt like my trip was complete. It was really fun strolling around the store and checking out the knick knacks they sold like you see below!