TIME TRAVELING WITH VIA BATA VIA
From vintage phones to vintage Kola, Via Bata Via has it all.
The M Bloc Space area in South Jakarta is quite popular with millennials. This place has always seemed to be busy since it first opened in 2019. The area, which functions as a creative hub, serves as a creative space for the local community, including the widely hyped Pos Bloc Jakarta.
Post Bloc Jakarta was established within the main area of what used to be known as Gedung Filateli Jakarta (Jakarta Philatelic Building). Via Bata Via is one of its occupants. Filling its space with a collection of 20th-century household kitschy furnishings, Via Bata Via combines the vibes of a local garage sale and an antique store. It took over a cultural heritage building with a European nuance formerly known as Post Telefon en Telgraf, which has been in use since the 1860s.
Established by Edgar Honggo, the shop mainly focuses on mid-century items. Inside its woody interior, warm lights come through glass-paneled windows on its two fronts, shining its spotlight on vintage rotary dial phones, collectible stamps, analog cameras, sewing machine, brass mini gong, steel barber's chair, and various carved Javanese teakwood furniture hunted by the owner and curators from various cities, such as Solo and Yogyakarta.
To achieve prime conditions, some of these goods were required to go through a restoration process by local artisans. For example, the store collaborated with Kris Jänssen Werks, a Jakarta-based brand known for its curation and restoration of antique radios, for its classic radios, cassette players, and such.
You can buy small things, such as old school labels or packaging, which costs under IDR 50,000. There are also items worth tens of millions of rupiah for collectors, architects, or restaurant owners.
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More than just an antique store
This place is a place for cultural preservation, where objects that have artistic, historical, and emotional values have been curated and put on display like a museum. However, Via Bata Via has the vision to be more than just a retail store selling antiques.
"All too often, we see things getting thrown away too easily when those things still have value," said Edgar, who hopes to awaken the awareness of preserving things. "Via Bata Via believes in the potential for cultural and historical tourism that the city of Jakarta has, as well as the culture in it, including antiques that can be found in Jakarta."
In addition to Via Bata Via Curated Vintages, Edgar also established Via Bata Via Studio Space & Retro Props, where you can do photoshoots with studio space support and vintage-themed property rentals. This old-school-themed studio looks aesthetically pleasing for personal photos, filming products, and creating various other content.
This studio space offers a variety of packages ranging from a 15-minute walk-in to take pictures with retro properties to professional packages such as pre-wedding and graduation photo sessions with references to the "time traveling and treasure hunting" style.
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Vintage hangover
Via Bata Via also offers several unique drink menus to quench your thirst after shopping, with a unique soda machine called the Honest Soda Fountain. They have created four types of drinks with names and flavors that are no less unique.
One of them is Kola van Java, which is a fizzy drink such as root beer with a distinctive Indonesian spice taste, then there is Lavender Lemonade, which is lemon soda with beautiful purple color from the butterfly pea flowers, locally known as bunga telang.
In collaboration with Suwe Ora Jamu, Via Bata Via also presents Turmeric Ginger, a ginger and turmeric soda drink. This particular drink is very popular and often sold out. Also, don't forget to taste the Apple Cream, which is apple cider infused with vanilla cream. All of these drinks are priced at only Rp 25,000.
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