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| Dutch Shop |
| Dust off your clogs and check out this authentic European store. |
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Even though Holland is halfway across the world there is a Dutch cultural haven right on our doorstep! Tucked away in a Sydney back street of Smithfield's sprawling industrial estate stands a little Dutch retreat with plenty of old world charm. Looking like a picture postcard straight out of old Amsterdam and more like a small village than a store, "The Dutch Shop" sells anything and everything of Dutch origin.
Although the characteristic windmills which dot the countryside may be missing and canals which cross the carefully cultivated fields are nowhere in sight, walking into The Dutch Shop is like being in the heart of the Netherlands.
Anita and John Van Altenas arrived from the Hague 35 years ago with the idea of opening up a shop which would be their own piece of Holland in their new homeland. They began as wholesalers of various Dutch goods, selling their wares to business houses interested in fine goods from the Netherlands.
Business picked up when they decided to import Dutch furnishings, including ornate chime clocks, chunky wooden chairs and tables, pigskin covered lamp shades and the highly traditional carpet table rugs. The sale of exclusive traditional Dutch furniture is now a major part of their business.
At first glance the warehouse is deceiving. A clever façade has been erected on the front of the building to make it resemble a typical Dutch street complete with windows, ornaments and pub signs.
The store is stocked to the rafters with imported furniture, food, cheese and ceramics. Shelves are cluttered with trinkets and ornaments, mostly the famous blue Delft ceramics which take the form of everything from tiny clogs to earrings, spoon rests, plates and jugs. An aroma of Edam and Gouda cheese wafts throughout the store. Racks of the famous Dutch wooden clogs in an assortment of colours and sizes dominate the far end of the shop and there are shelves stacked with food stuffs, delicacies and tins of Sleutel Rode Kool (red cabbage).
The shop is split into two sections - the coffee shop and the furniture showroom. It is a place where you can rest while sipping coffee or thee (tea), eat large chunks of appeletaart, haring met uitjes (salted herring) or an assortment of other traditional foods in the cosy living room atmosphere of a Dutch home. Dutch music, songs by Jacques Herb, Wieteke Van Dort or Tante Leen, play softly in the background while visitors feast on frikandel, a Dutch delicacy similar to sausage, and apple pie.
It's warm and homelike with a relaxing atmosphere where customers can become familiar with some Dutch traditions and culture as they eat and drink typical Dutch foods and beverages. The shop carries more than 100 different varieties of liquorice, the largest range in Australia. Many other Dutch delicacies can be found in this charming shop. Beside the range of mouth-watering Dutch food, the shop also stocks an amazing range of oak furniture and souvenirs.
Shoppers can move from the friendly cosy atmosphere of the tea room through to the furniture showroom which is full of superbly crafted oak dining settings, lounge suites and cabinets as well as showcases and pig-skin lampshades.
Anita and John are proud of their business and have worked hard to build up its reputation for the last 18 years. Anita says that the business runs a little like a corner store with lots of smiles and personal attention given to each customer.
Understandably the shop assistants, also Dutch, love working at The Dutch Shop. "It is like being back home; we never get homesick for Holland".
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Cost
From $2 (souvenirs) to $1,000 (furniture).
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More Info
The Dutch Shop:
85 Market Street,
Smithfield,
Sydney NSW.
Ph: (02) 9604 0233 or (02) 9725 2241.
Opening hours:
Every day (except Mondays, Christmas Day and public holidays) from 9am - 4pm.
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Disclaimer
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