Elandsgracht Amsterdam

Linger real estate is a quiet presence on the Elandsgracht. Its modest store window and shopfront belie the ambitions and aspirations of its owners and employees. Now that Linger have a second office in the southeastern part of the city and five full time employees, they cover the whole of Amsterdam. Whereas other realtors have only recently – forced by dire economic circumstances – started paying closer attention to the needs and wants of their clients and offer more personalised service, Linger have embraced these elementary business principles since it first opened its doors. Linger have managed to spot opportunities in less fortunate times. It is precisely because of this combination of  business savvy and optimism that Linger continues to welcome more and more clients, mostly via word of mouth among expats and people with limited spending power.

Johnny, the owner of the coffeeshop that bears his name, started his career peddling fresh vegetables on markets around the city.  Until he decided one day to go into business for himself. Fast forward twenty-odd years and this place still exists. The interior is small but tidy and organised and a faint, sweet smell lingers in the air. It has a separate, closed off smoking area, installed to comply with the latest regulations on smoking in public places. Johnny found the location at Elandsgracht 3 through the same grapevine Marvin Gaye used to sing about. Once he obtained the necessary permits, Johnny opened its doors and after a short warm up period, the business started doing well. Celebrities like the Ramones and several American movie actors have walked through the doors here, looking for a Dutch treat, shall we say. The closure of numerous coffeeshops around Amsterdam obviously did not hurt Johnny and despite ever stricter regulations, this is one coffeeshop that isn’t about to roll over and play dead.

You know the kind of store where you wander past, you, stop, walk back feeling unexplicably intrigued and just go in to explore? Right, well, new addition Gr8cht is exactly this kind of shop and that alone makes it a wonderful addition to the Elandsgracht. It opened for business in April 2012, when entrepreneur Jos decided on the location here. The things on display make you happy just by looking at them, so presumably even happier by buying them. Which is precisely how Jos, owner of the place, decides her inventory: she bases her decision on what to sell on what she likes. And it does not take an expensive marketing guru to state that it’s a lot easier -and more fun- to sell things that you are excited about. The products she sells range from clothing, scented candles and soap to sturdy yet elegant dining tables and delicate interior decorations. Another lovely thing about this shop – you can spend a little or a lot, depending on your taste and budget.

Owner Rob left one gallery to spread his wings and start his own in 2007. His gallery, named simply and effectively after himself, specialises in modern jewellery. It is partly the result of the experience Rob had built up in his previous gallery and partly the realisation of turning what was already a hobby into a profession. He convinced some of the artists that he already represented to come with him, but had to re-establish himself  by doing the rounds to sign new names to his business. Thanks to his extensive network and his familiarity with the Rietveld Academy, and other such places, this did not take too long. To his surprise and joy, his name and reputation still attracts both the more established artists and the new generation of artists.

The Lindemans may rightly be monickered an entrepreneurial tribe. Dozens of family members are entrepreneurs, most of them in some way or form in the Albert Heijn concern. This giant supermarket chain allows people like Lindeman a lot of leeway to personalise their business, and so they did. Having started back in the day, that is in the latter half of the 19^th century, thankyouverymuch, as a wholesale grocer, on the corner of Hazenstraat and Elandsgracht, the Lindeman family and their branch of Albert Heijn breathe new life into the somewhat dusty cliche of being the pillar of the community on the gracht. Something not lightly earned, and something they themselves would be proud of, although their modesty would strongly reject any such praise. Its sucess is such that family members help out daily, and that sometimes even includes manning a cash register, or assisting a new kid with re-stocking (another effect of its popularity, re-stocking appears to take place around the clock, every day of every week).