Shopkeepers on the Weiersloop, Marktstraat and Kruisstraat in Assen celebrate. Due to work, the stores were difficult to reach, but that is over. That is why there is plenty to do from today to Saturday in this part of the city center.
The party indicates the end of the first phase of the redesign of the city center. Shopping public and retailers had a lot of problems with the work last year, but are happy that it is now ready. “We have been in the misery for so long. At least a year the street has broken up in phases,” says Marjan Beumer, owner of Roma Opticiens on the Kruisstraat. “We had to find crawling-through-sneak-through the route through the street. Now it is ready and we can all build a party. The street looks fantastic.”
In March the municipality started the second phase of the redesign. Oudestraat, Oude Molenstraat and Gedempte Singel are being tackled in parts. First to replace the cables and later to let the streets fit in with the rest of the city center.
According to Beumer, the retailers on these streets will suffer from the work. “I fear that that will take so long, those retailers will not get that easy either.”
The shops on the Weiersloop, Marktstraat and Kruisstraat will be decorated with blue runners and balloons in the coming days. Many entrepreneurs have opening actions and there is a ‘so it used to be’ photo quiz in the stores.
On Friday there is live music in the refurbished streets between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. On Saturday the official opening is at 11 a.m. and you can play Old Dutch games until 5 p.m.