Recycled fishing boats.

I used to be a boat, K&K Fak-Fak Jaya Furniture

Knowing that your chair used to be out at sea or out in the Bali sun catching fish for the market has something of a unique ring to it. 

You may or may not know that my background is in furniture. Yes, decades and decades of manufacturing experience are behind me and my family. It has been a decade or so since we closed our company, but the furniture background cannot be flushed out of me. 

I don’t usually do individual company profiles on my blog but I decided to make an exception on this one. For one it is because this gentleman name Kadek Arnawa or Mr. Made asked to see me months ago. He is a bit out of the way for me but with another appointment nearby and a coincidence of him contacting me again, we made it happen. So what has happened to this small manufacturer?

Covid happened. 

This is the case for many businesses in Bali and around the world. I entered this small shop I saw what it was all about. 

Recycled old fishing boats? 

Yes, exactly that. Pak Made takes old fishing boats and cuts them up with minimal clean-up and varnish he makes furniture out of old boats. This stuff is made of hardwood and is not only heavy but sturdy. This small business used to manufacture 2-3 containers a month of solid wood furniture. 

They used to… Is the keyword here. They no longer manufacture such volumes, but they do make interesting furniture. Knowing that your chair used to be out at sea or out in the Bali sun catching fish for the market has something unique story to it. So what has happened to this little business? Covid killed it and this is a business that has not recovered, while things are better as far as business, not everyone is back to normal.

How can I help?

More often than not, I cannot help sell a darn thing. What I can get him are some eyeballs. Maybe, just maybe someone finds this type of furniture unique and interesting. 

Maybe someone can give me a call and ask to buy a container of this recycled boat furniture and help out a struggling business. 

It is always hard to watch a business struggle. It is always hard to watch a once successful business go through downsizing and restructuring. The back of Pak Made’s business has been leaking and is rather dirty. He has not had the income to fix it all. So all I can hope for is that maybe someone out here in the online world can send me a message and I can help out a small business in Bali.