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Howhas the responsebeen?
ZR
: We have been getting good feedback.
People love our products but we get
mixed reactions on pricing.
MZ
: Products of lifestyle brands at Loka
are not mass produced, which explains
the slightly higher price points. I can
assure you that the quality is significantly
higher. People who have been to Loka
also love the experience. We almost feel
like a gallery where people can come in
and appreciate the product as well as the
stories behind it.
Will therebemoreLoka stores in the
future?
ZR
: There will be one more this year. For
2017, we are planning to venture outside
of Kuala Lumpur. We are planning to
have stores in Penang, Kuching and Johor
Bahru. Final phase will be Asian countries
like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,
Philippines and India.
Anywords ofwisdomtoour readers?
ZR
: Malaysian products are not always
cheap. People should know that we have
somany good quality, young local brands.
Come here to Loka to touch, feel and
experience the products. We are trying to
show that we have local products of good
quality at competitive prices.
MZ
: We want to get people to understand
that we are not asking them to support lo-
cal because it is Malaysian. These brands
deserved to be supported. It is only fair
for us to give them a chance. This is the
best time to be entrepreneur and at Loka
we are doing our best to really put these
brands out there.
Howdifficultwas the journey toget here?
ZR
: Extremely difficult. There have been
a lot of sleepless nights because we are
not from retail and fashion backgrounds
and have never run a store before. We
appointed a consultant but other than
that we learnt by trial and error and did
it ourselves.
MZ
: Convincing suppliers about LOKA
was not easy. There was scepticism. We
had all the paperwork and it got them all
excited but they were still not 100% sure
on the concept.
Is there a particular criteria for local
brands tobecome a part of Loka?
ZR
: We usually look at industry history
and followers as well as the quality of
products. We try to have a different prod-
uct mix as we are not a fashion boutique.
Instead, Loka is a lifestyle hub. We need
brands with history behind them. The
products have to be a conversation piece,
especially for tourists who are looking for
something local for them to take home.
AMalaysian
designed t-shirt
Scented soy candles
and fragrances are
also available at LOKA