The woman behind Market & Museum, Sara Tirtohadiguno, shares about the well-known bazaar’s 10th anniversary and explains it is now the era of collaborations
Sara Tirtohadiguno used to own a clothing and home decor line together with her business partner Namira Syarfuan. Back in 2012, they were looking for a community and market that welcomed new small businesses. Unfortunately, the kind of event they were looking for didn’t exist at that time. This revelation spurred Sara and Namira to create Market & Museum, a creative company that organizes a new kind of retail bazaar with a thematic market for young entrepreneurs. Besides the retail bazaar that comes with a new theme every single time, Market & Museum also provides entertaining and educative activities in its events.
“A market is a place where buyers and sellers can gather to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, while the museum is a place for artists to display and showcase their creations to the public,” Sara notes. “We’ve always believed that every maker is an entrepreneur, and they need a platform that connects them with potential buyers and a larger audience.”
Before each event, Sara and her team would curate the vast range of local brands so as to fit into the unique theme of the bazaar. Sara elaborates: “We curate participating tenants for every event. Every tenant is required to share their business details, product catalogue or menu, and booth design. We are always looking for new and unique local brands with excellent quality and consistency.”
The response to this initiative has been astonishingly positive. “Back in 2012, for our first event, we gathered 10 tenants in a coffee shop. Before the pandemic, in 2019, our event has grown to include more than 150 vendors and attracted more than 120.000 visitors over four days,” Sara gladly shares.
As Market & Museum celebrates its 10th anniversary, Prestige Indonesia caught up with Sara Tirtohadiguno to delve into her journey with the platform.
First and foremost, congratulations on Market & Museum’s 10th anniversary. How has the decade-long journey been for you?
It has been an amazing experience for both Namira and I to work on, and within, the business. We learned so many things, through many ups and downs, to create bigger and better events and creative communities for young entrepreneurs in Indonesia. It’s amazing to see many of our tenants grow and expand their brands throughout the year.
What gives Market & Museum an advantage over similar services? What is it that gives the brand an edge?
We’ve been in the business for almost a decade, and consistency is one value that we believe has helped us reach this point. We welcome new brands to use our platform as their runway to meet larger audiences and do market tests. And especially during these difficult times, we do and encourage our tenants to form creative collaborations with others.
What are the key lessons from this decade-long journey that you will be taking forward to the next decade?
I learned that I always have to be prepared to make changes, to be creative and strategic, as well as to be open-minded and flexible. In particular, the pandemic shaped us in so many ways, especially as entrepreneurs. As an offline platform, Market & Museum has been affected in so many ways, but we have to adapt.
After ten years, how has your overall strategy changed?
Our business revolved around offline events and it was disrupted by the pandemic. But, again, we have to adapt to current situations. Market & Museum went online in mid-2020 to open a platform for local entrepreneurs in collaboration with Tokopedia.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for Market & Museum right now?
The pandemic created rising levels of uncertainty. Due to the concern of spreading the virus, events and gatherings were cancelled or restricted. This obviously goes against the essential characteristic of market events, which is to assemble people in one place or event. On the other hand, there is the opportunity to expand to online platforms and reach bigger audiences that will lead to larger transactions, since our business isn’t limited to a particular geographic location.
How has consumer behaviour changed compared to pre-pandemic times?
Consumers have obviously adapted to living under the pandemic and now enjoy online as well as virtual shopping experiences. We opened a pop-up store in the middle of 2020 in one of the malls in Jakarta, and the response was great. In the end, I think customers still need to interact and to see products directly, but with extra precautions, of course.
When it comes to fashion, e-commerce has been a major force to reckon with, and the trend has only intensified during this pandemic time. How challenging is it for you to compete with the big e-commerce in Indonesia?
I believe the pandemic taught us the era of collaborations. As mentioned, together with Tokopedia, we want to open a platform for local makers and entrepreneurs to survive and grow during this difficult time. And online events have no geographical restrictions that could lead to bigger sales.
On the flip side, how would you describe the relationship between Market & Museum and more traditional retail avenues? How does Market & Museum complement, supplant or co-exist with offline options?
We held most of our events at a shopping mall. Our presence in the shopping mall benefits permanent tenants by attracting more visitors. Many used our events as an opportunity to do market tests before opening more permanent branches or stores. We see shopping malls or other retail avenues as partners that complement each other to support local entrepreneurs to grow and expand.
We took a peek at your Instagram account and learned that Market & Museum will be launching the upcoming Bridestory Market in March and In Bloom in April. Can you give us a brief intro to these events?
Our collaboration with Bridestory since 2017 continues this year as, finally, the Bridestory Market is back offline and Market & Museum will curate selections of F&B that will be accompanying visitors during the four-day wedding exhibition. Meanwhile, In Bloom will be our first offline event in 2022. We will showcase more than 130 local brands.
What advice would you give to people who want to launch into the world of fashion with their brand and want to take part in Market & Museum to gain visibility?
Make sure to put your unique character into your brand and never give up. Every challenge brings opportunities, and offline events like Market & Museum could be the perfect opportunity to gain exposure and for you to market test your brand.
Last but not least, what’s next for Market & Museum?
Entering our 10th year in the business, we’re looking forward to seeing the future of local brands in Indonesia, as local brands are getting bigger and better compared to ten years ago. We also want to be better in every event and to discover more brands. It’s also been our dream to introduce Indonesian local brands to overseas markets.
Photography Andrean Lim | Styling Safina Harys | Makeup & Hair Rachel Ayu | Assistant Styling Bagoes Abyoso