Lockdown or no lockdown, Dordrecht entrepreneurs remain as creative and ambitious as ever. New initiatives can be seen in abundance in the city centre, sometimes even in one of Dordrecht's beautiful monumental buildings. Gym Stokholm opened in the beautiful Stokholm warehouse. Wool shop Vive! has found a connection with Bluebirds in the Backyard, in the basement of the iconic Roodenburch House.
All of these are great initiatives for all the people of Dordrecht.
Refill Station at The Body Shop
If it is up to The Body Shop, refilling will become the norm. The company has had enough of all the plastic that goes into the bin after one refill. That is why Refill Stations will be installed in 400 of the shops this year, including the Dordrecht branch since mid-November. Store manager Ilona van der Wiel is very happy about it. "It is good for the environment, but also for the wallet. Refill is 25% cheaper. The purchase of a bottle with content costs € 9.50, refill after that costs € 7. Customers can choose from different showergels, shampoos, conditioners and handwashes. When your bottle is empty, just rinse it, take it back to the shop and fill it up again. It's as simple as that. Every day in the shop we show how many bottles we have already saved in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The counter now stands at 12,129 bottles, but fortunately it is going very fast."
From mobile bicycle repair shop to Fietsmaat
At the end of 2016, Martijn van der Zanden started Fietsmaat. As a mobile bicycle mechanic, he visited companies and individuals at home. Since then, the company has grown steadily. So big that Martijn got a lack of working space. The building at the Vriesestraat, formerly the Fietsendokter, offered a solution. Since 1 September, this is the place where the entrepreneur does repairs on all types of bicycles. Anyone can come to him. "It goes extremely well," says Martijn enthusiastically. "It is nice and busy. People can plan an appointment online or drop by the shop of course. If you can't bring the bike, I always have my bring and pickup service. I am also a dealer of Azor, a quality brand of bicycle from Drenthe. These rock solid bicycles can be customised. A unique concept for a unique super strong bicycle."
Vive! handmade: small but fine wool shop
Greetje Aardoom has made from her hobby her work. Since 30 October she has her small wool shop in the basement of the Roodenburch House where Bluebirds in the Backyard is located. "I love handicrafts and especially knitting." Greetje herself has a great love for Scandinavian designs. Beautiful, classic, timeless and yet modern. A lot of the wool, accessories and patterns she sells come from Scandinavia. "Knitting is hip in Scandinavia, also among young people. I would love it if that trend would spread to the Netherlands. It is fun to make what you want, but knitting is also relaxing. With my shop, and later also with a webshop and workshops, I want to inspire people to get started too." Vive! is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Greetje herself is there on Thursday and Saturday from 10.00 to 15.00 for personal advice.
Stokholm Gym = training at a unique location
Four months ago, Zoltán Világi opened the doors of his gym , Stokholm Gym. The name refers to Pakhuis Stokholm, the iconic building on the Wolwevershaven in which the brand new gym is located. The gym is doing well. The enthusiastic team of the proud owner now has fourteen employees, including a physiotherapist, weight consultant, personal trainers and yoga instructors. The number of members, including many top athletes, continues to grow. "Small scale, personal attention, quality and, of course, the amazing view of the Oude Maas river", the exercise scientist mentions as success factors. "Every new member first receives an intake. Then we make a tailor-made plan, with a goal. To achieve this, we offer various group lessons ranging from body balance to yoga and pilates, personal training, nutritional advice and much more." For those who are curious, sign up for a free trial lesson via the website, the trainers would love to meet you at Stokholm Gym!
Wolwevershaven 30, Dordrecht.
ION Apple Store to Bagijnhof
From 1 December, Ferhat Sahingoz and Adem Pinar are the proud owners of Bagijnhof 6-8, the former shoe shop Van Boxel. The driving forces behind ION Apple Specialist have ambitious plans for the property. Upstairs there will be flats, on the ground floor their own ION Apple Store. Here they will carry out repairs on Apple devices and offer a large collection of refurbished and new Apple products. The thoroughbreds from Dordrecht are looking forward to it. "In 2015 we started at the Singel", Ferhat tells proudly. "Two years later we moved to our current location on the Johan de Wittstraat, already more towards the city centre. The Bagijnhof is even more beautiful and central. The move fits well with our growth, we now have a second shop in Breda, and vision in which change is the starting point. First we need to renovate, but at the end of April 2022 we hope to move into the new premises.
From end of April 2022: Bagijnhof 6-8, Dordrecht
