Just after the passionate entrepreneurial couple of Vintage Brabant in Oudenbosch are told that they have to leave their beloved warehouse, fate strikes. Co-owner Guido Bijl (44) has an industrial accident, in which he dies instantly. In the meantime, business continues.
“We toasted him this morning before we opened,” says Zwaan Maas from a second-hand garden chair in the hall. She is the best friend of co-owner Bianca Bijl, who runs the popular vintage store in Oudenbosch with her husband. Until, Friday morning, Guido dies due to bad luck.
“He got stuck between a tree and a truck, which started rolling,” says Maas calmly, but affected. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene of the accident, close to the store. They couldn’t do anything anymore.
“Guido was such a positive guy, in the middle of his life, that we just continued that line of thought.”
The fear that follows is enormous. Staff, friends, family and acquaintances live in a blur. The business is open as usual between the conversations with the undertaker. “Guido was such a positive guy. He was in the middle of life. That is why we are continuing that line of thought,” says Maas. That is also the reason that they are open this Easter Monday: to commemorate and to continue to propagate Bijl’s ideas. But also, because the case has to be empty. Just before the accident, the owners were told to leave their beloved shed. Apartments are coming.
“Customers are welcome to come and support us
“The warehouse must be empty… help us,” the store therefore writes on Instagram. Customers and acquaintances trickle in. “But we are open as usual and customers are welcome to drop by.” Scattered around the shop are small altars, with a photo and a bottle of beer. There is a booklet on a table, where acquaintances can leave a message. Precisely in the place that Bijl is so dear to.
How to proceed now is not yet an issue for the organization. The warehouse has to be empty and they have to leave on December 31. Meanwhile, their grieving process is in full swing. “We just got a new location,” says Maas. “But how and what, we will look at later. In any case, people are always welcome to drop by to support us or to shopping.”
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