Entrepreneurs Rob and Bianca Koese have their hands full this week unpacking Christmas items in their Candlelight store in the Haarlem Generaal Cronjéstraat. After two years of lockdown exactly in the days before Christmas, they have decided to start selling Christmas items earlier.
The shop mainly sells candles, but Christmas and Sinterklaas items are also for sale all year round. As of this week, the store is completely in Christmas mood and the first pallet with new Christmas items has arrived.
Lockdowns during Christmas
“Usually the peak with sales is after Sinterklaas, but we now hope to be able to push everything forward. Because yes, what will happen this winter? I hope no strange things this time,” says Rob. The past two lockdowns around the Christmas period have seriously affected his business.
It was quite a job to find a supplier who can deliver the Christmas stuff in the middle of summer, but Rob has found him and is happy with the stuff he receives. “We have nativity scenes, snow globes, a pitcher with Christmas decorations, basically everything.”
Christmas lovers can indulge themselves in this store – NH Nieuws
Despite the warm summer weather this week, Rob and Bianca have a few customers in the store. “I’ve already sold a nice nativity scene. And we have a deer at the entrance that makes some noise and we often see children spontaneously singing Christmas songs when they see that.”
Christmas music
The time of year doesn’t really matter to Rob and his wife Bianca, they love everything related to Christmas. “We always have Christmas music playing in the store and I always have a Christmas shirt or shirt on. I don’t care if it’s August.”