The thrift store with the most luxurious items is in Veldhoven. There you will find complete household effects of expats at Kringloopwinkel XL. When they leave again, they have to get rid of their stuff. “They come with a suitcase and they leave with a suitcase,” says manager Ton Dietvorst. The store was closed for six months after a fire, but from Sunday you can shop again.
Kringloop De Kempen has an XL location in Veldhoven, almost around the corner from chip machine manufacturer ASML. The expats do not care about a euro more or less during their stay in the Netherlands. “ASML attracts people from all over the world. They have a good salary and they furnish their house with beautiful and expensive things. When those people leave again after a number of years, we often receive these very luxurious items. We are granted that.”
“For example, you see a number of exclusive lamps here. Nice televisions and household appliances. Good quality furniture. We also received a scooter from someone from ASML. It was returned to us with 46 kilometers on the odometer because the owner returned to Pakistan. That scooter was a great product for our store to sell.”
“There were a lot of crying employees on the street here at night.”
In July 2023, the thrift store burned down completely. “When I see images of the fire, it evokes some emotion. I got a call from the control room at night. I was here at four o’clock. In two to three hours the entire building was destroyed. All together 2200 square meters. There were many crying employees on the street here at night. They were in tears because they saw their workplace in flames.”
The thrift store is starting again in a new location, but close by. 120 people work there. “Mainly volunteers. People at a distance from the labor market, retirees. The fire has had a major impact. People had lost their permanent base. Most of them have been at home for months.”
“Many people saved items after the fire to give to us.”
In the large hall for second-hand items, we are working hard to have everything ready for Sunday’s opening. Scaffolding is still being assembled and furnished. The warehouse is already overflowing. “We could open two stores. We notice that people have saved things after the fire to give them to us. The favorability factor is high.”
Everything is first thoroughly checked. Only forty percent ultimately ends up in the store, such as a wedding dress costing 4,000 euros. “It is now a hundred euros. If all goes well, it has only been worn once,” says manager Dietvorst, laughing. Next to the dress hangs a rack full of chic curtains. “These are all curtains from a villa in Waalre. Completely lined. Those people had sold their houses.”
“The fire has been lit, which makes it extra sad.”
Strangely enough, the fire also had an advantage. The clothing department is now a lot bigger. “Second-hand clothing is very hot. We receive ten thousand kilos of clothing every week. We have wanted a larger department for some time. After the fire, this was a unique opportunity for us to start over. You can then arrange it the way people want it. It’s kind of an advantage somehow.”
After the fire, a man from Valkenswaard was arrested for arson. “The fire has been lit, which makes it extra sad.” However, the manager prefers to look ahead. “Sunday it will be a new start, with a new store.”
