Ad and Carla van Schie have been at the helm of Café de Zon for 22 years. Ad is now 67 years old and after September will hand over the baton together with his wife to a group of residents of Wijk aan Zee who have bought the cafe. Thanks to crowdfunding, the Sun will continue to exist, but without Ad and Carla. “There will certainly be a tear, but we can now put an end to it.”
The process in which Ad, Carla and the new owners became involved took all in all about two years. Ad can therefore live with the fact that he says goodbye to his life’s work. “I’m glad it’s over. You’re slowly living up to it. A year ago I had my doubts about it and I don’t feel like stopping yet.”
His age and the future freedom in particular make for a less difficult goodbye, he says. “I’m at peace with it, I was 67 and I’m going to enjoy my pension. With my children and grandchildren, that’s something you really miss when you work in the hospitality industry. The two of us did it for 22 years. years, six days a week. You are now finally heading for your freedom.”
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Yet Ad and Carla also leave something behind. “I think I will definitely miss the social aspect. You will also get other social contacts in return. For the first few months I will give support where necessary if they need it. Especially at big events like the chess tournament in January and the Rory I will assist Gallagher festival.”
During that festival, people from Ireland and Denmark, for example, come to honor the music of the Irish blues legend. “More than half are foreign people, that’s three days in early March. Every day several bands on stage, so the next edition I will be there to help.”
In good hands
Ad is assured that the café will end up in good hands and that the new owners will eventually be able to keep the café alive without his help. “We have been working on passing it on to that group of people for two years. It has taken much longer than we hoped, but we are now in the final phase and we will soon pass the baton. They are 100 percent looking forward to it It’s not for nothing that they have been trying to get their hands on it for two years. I have faith in them.”