After undergoing a major revamp in the past couple of years — including closing down the country’s first McDonald’s outlet — Indonesia’s first and oldest shopping center Sarinah is reopening to the public today.
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The building, which is located on the intersection of KH Wahid Hasyim street and part of Jakarta’s main commercial thoroughfare M.H. Thamrin road in Central Jakarta, has a new sleek and modern look.
“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for! We proudly present #SarinahTransformation. A concrete movement for the development and support of cool local brands to realize the revival of the people’s economy!” a caption on one of recent posts on Sarinah’s Instagram page reads.
Sarinah returns with a “community mall” concept, which is geared towards attracting young people and communities to gather. At Sarinah, you can shop and dine from your favorite local F&B stalls, fashion brands, and premium batik collection.
Gather your friends to hang out at new spots like the amphitheater, or enjoy the sunset at the skydeck and take snaps for the ‘gram.
A number of historical items at Sarinah are still available, including the first escalator in Indonesia, the relief of Indonesia’s First President Sukarno, and the reflection pool.
Sarinah was inaugurated in August 1966 as Indonesia’s first modern department store. The country’s founding father President Sukarno initiated the state-owned enterprise that managed the department in 1962, and named it after his childhood nanny.
Following the reopening, Sarinah aims to be the center of trade and promotion for locally produced goods, just like what Sukarno mandated for the shopping center.
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