Retail comes in many guises, the market stall, boutique, chain stores, department stores, shopping centers, speciality stores & the large independent retail & wholesaler. Some examples follow, all have the same goals - to provide quality product, the best in craftsmanship & excellent customer service.
UC® SILVER – Unique Designs!
I have to admit that there is something quite magnificent upon entering a massive gallery with a façade adorned with laughing cherubic faces & Balinese figures from the past. UC Silver based in Batubulan is one legendary sterling silver company, so it’s more than interesting to take a detour from the regular boutique shopping haunts & look at one massive enterprise – I bet you will buy! The visitor is welcome to the workshop where one can view much of the finishing work. UC Silver staff must wear safety protection eyewear & do their detailed work through screens to protect their eyes. This company is a good example for others in terms of applying occupational & safety standards, rigorous quality control & procedures set in place for health & hygiene.
UC Silver commenced operations back in 1989, they are obvious leaders in the design field with two design studios in operation, one in Bali & another in Bangkok. Most would know that good quality sterling silver is 9.25 but UC Silver use a higher grade from 93 to 96, the absolute best! The jewelry is handcrafted completely or finished with some machine work, they export to the world, they are proud of their achievements & so they should be. Their product, well, all you have to do is walk into their famous Gallery, it’s amazing! The ground level is well laid out in sections, cabinets & tables groaning with S/S jewelry items – necklaces, pendants, bracelets & cuffs, brooches, rings & earrings, a section for men’s jewelry, there are even men’s razors with engraved S/S handles, a small collection of baby christening gifts, bracelet charms, mobile phone ornaments & S/S miniature handbags for tele/lipstick! There is so much sterling silver it makes one gasp! Some items are a mix of S/S with wood, leather, American turquoise, coral, some silver is engraved, some simple in style.
But walk the stairs up to heaven & here you will arrive at the ‘serious’. Oh my goodness, display cabinets filled with the most amazing jewelry creations, but this time it’s the fine jewelry & expensive! Wondrous & intricate designs in both sterling silver & 18 or 22 carat gold, encrusted with baroque pearls, white, black & yellow pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, white opal, jade, coral & more, the simple to the extraordinary, all fit for a queen. This is a definite experience & one can only marvel at the craftsmanship of the product. Who wears these ornate brooches, pendants & rings? I am told that there are plenty in this world of ours…….
The UC Silver staff are happy & helpful, most have been employed for 10 yrs plus, well trained & speak several languages which is so important on an isle like Bali. Refreshments are available for all, including the many ‘big spenders’ that arrive on a daily basis. UC Silver operate a highly professional business from - 8am to 7pm, 7 days a week. Factory, Showroom & Office, Jl W.R. Supratman Gg. Candra Metu #2 Batubulan, Bali. T: 461 511 / 461 510 E: info@ucsilverbali.com or www.ucsilverbali.com
deLighting and now, deLicious!
A unique showroom (recently refurbished) on the main road through Jimbaran Bay, opp. Paul Ropp showroom & further along, the Intercon Hotel. Each showroom (H/O is Kerobokan & others on Jl Raya Seminyak, Jl Kunti & Jl Oberoi, Seminyak) has their own distinct character & charm, but Jimbaran has a focus on design & lifestyle. Core business is lighting, original & highly creative, an internationally UL listed lighting designer, manufacturer who offer a lighting consultancy service. A new range of product awaits you, from the Balinese painter & visionary, Ida Bagus Indra with his ‘opera d’art’, handwoven textiles in single/double woven ikat (gringsing) Balinese glass paintings, handwoven songket, magnificient jewelry by Moja, recycled products from Saraswati, quality spa & soap products from Republic of Soap, natural beeswax candles from Sinar Alami, a selected range of Bali books & items of exquisite fashion, handbags from Lin, to other treasures, interior accessories & well chosen home furnishings.
And now, deLicious! a decorative place that has popped up within the beautiful garden of the deLighting space. A lounging sort of restaurant/café which creates a delightful traveler’s resting spot. Listen to the mood tunes of Shaman Elektro, while Arlyn Landi an experienced chef from Hollywood, gathers spices & herbs to create a fabulous menu of healthy & fresh cuisine using organic produce. Coffee, wine, beer, cocktails & Bach flower drinks, as well, picnic hampers, take away or book in for a cooking class with Arlyn in her creative kitchen! Here is somewhere different for your special event/evening celebration & the showroom is open late for those who want to partake in some retail therapy! deLicious at deLighting, Design & Lifestyle Gallery, Jl Uluwatu #99 T: 703162 E: dLjimbaran@de-Lighting.com
CRAFT – something for everyone!
A popular shop for Sanur locals but also a destination haunt for others around the isle, mainly due to the selection of product, the excellent service by Desi & the owner, Yudhi, who came to Bali 29 yrs ago from Java and has built up an ever growing business. Craft is located on Jl Danau Poso, No 118, drive almost down to the roundabout where you can either turn left to Sanur shopping centre or right to the Sanur Beach/Puri Santrian hotels. This shop has a plethora of merchandise & it’s all good, but it’s a maze. All the usual bits for visitors/us, like candles, incense, soap, batik, napkins, silver items, baskets, statues, puppets, old Bali paintings, decorative objets & the rest, but then the shop has a well chosen range of furniture from, day beds, chairs, tables, screens, stools, wooden hangings, objets & more. With furniture, they specialize in the painted, recycled & rustic look, so, if this is your style then worth a visit. Yudhi tells me that knockdown Joglo houses are all the rage & has several orders going out to Central America, it’s truly amazing where Bali goods find themselves. Hotel & villa renovations, along with corporate gifts, if this is your bag then Yudhi is your lady. She is a personality with a big heart who doesn’t believe in putting on a logo to the basic brown shopping bag, so the money she saves, goes to a kindergarten/orphanage that she supports. Yudhi is the type of person we definitely need more of here in this world of Bali. Craft, Jl Danuo Poso, #2, T: 270 677 or Craft 1, situated on Jl Tamblingan (next to the Tanjung Sari hotel) # 39, Sanur, T: 288 343.
For comments and enquiries, email: retailtherapym@yahoo.com.au
