Convenience stores as an Urban culture space for young people in West Jakarta, Indonesia

A convenience store is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items, such as groceries, snacks, foods, confectionaries, soft drinks, tobacco products, magazines, and newspapers. However, since 2009 it has become a new space to hang out for urban youth, especially in Kemanggisan area, West Jakarta. The shift has turned a convenience store from a commercial into more public space. The aim of this paper is to understand the role of a convenience store as a public space and the behaviour of consumers in utilizing it. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to the people who purchase goods at a convenience store and use its area to hang out. The result of the analysis shows that a convenience store has become a space for people to interact with each other, do some chores, or spend some time alone. A variety of facilities are offered, such as affordable foods and beverages, WiFi, toilets, and a bright place, to make a taste of urban house linger there. Moreover, in terms of its role as a destination, the convenience store is a commercial space crowded with its customers who spend their time in the lounge provided.