Willem Koopman is closing his tobacco and literature shop in the Nije Nering shopping center after almost 36 years. He has been walking with a worn ankle for two years and as the pain continues to worsen, the time has come for him to receive treatment. That means a year of rehabilitation. As of January 1, his store will be taken over by Henri Offerein.
On December 30, he closes the door of his shop for the last time. After opening his own shop in May 1988 and playing ‘cigar farmer’ for 36 years, Willem Koopman will retire at the end of this year. The store formula will continue to exist, but in a different form. Since the big news became known, he has been bombarded with reactions. “The reactions I am already receiving are heart-warming: ‘That’s not possible, we can’t do it without you’, ‘Oh, what a shame’, ‘You wouldn’t do that, would you?’. Fortunately, no one is indispensable and I will definitely miss it.”
From January 1, 2024, ‘the people person’ will no longer be behind the counter and that will take some getting used to. He will have surgery in early January. After rehabilitation there is time for fun things. “That could mean doing odd jobs with the children, who all live in Hoogeveen and enjoy our five grandchildren. I will also often go on beautiful trips on my racing bike and mountain bike. We can make a big party out of it, but modest as I am, we are not going to do that.”
1988
His adventure as a shop owner in Hoogeveen started on November 26, 1987. Koopman lived in Zwolle at the time and visited Hoogeveen for his father-in-law’s birthday. Mr Koster wanted to close his shop and both gentlemen soon agreed and he became the owner of the shop in May 1988. “We, 28 years old, and two small children, aged two and four, thought it was quite a step. The storefront was rented from Rabobank for 591.65 guilders per month. At the beginning of 1988 we returned with our two daughters to Hoogeveen, where we were both born and raised.”
Since Koopman did not know much about bookkeeping, his father took on that task. “We were and still are, so proud to be in our own store. Hard work, of course, but we were happy to do that. No vacation for the first few years. Then my father worked in the shop for two weeks during the holiday period, so that we could go out and enjoy it. The store was running very well and we felt like fish in water. A year after the opening I was floored by a hernia. My wife was thrown to the lions and had to run the store on her own for several months. After my recovery we found it necessary to hire staff. Our first staff member was hired for Monday mornings and the holiday periods. She has been with us for sixteen years.”
Expansion
The building consisted of a 50 square meter shop and 50 square meter warehouse and was expanded from 100 to 120 square meters in 1992. “When there were five customers in, the store was full.”
In 1996 his store became a postal agency of the PTT. “On a Saturday evening, with the help of family and friends, the entire store was emptied from top to bottom and the furnishings started on Monday. The store received a completely new interior in three days. Regular customers have been visiting our store on fixed days for years. The new store was opened on Thursday and many people were surprised. In 2013 we celebrated our 25th anniversary. We have now expanded with two part-timers, one of whom has been with us for more than twenty years.”
Regular clientele
Willem looks back on his years as a shop owner in Hoogeveen with great satisfaction. “We have had fantastic years. We always enjoy dealing with people. Of course you hear and happen in a local shop. People who have won big prizes in the lottery, for example. Situations at home. We have always dealt with this intimately. We are fortunate to have a very loyal customer base. Parents who used to sit in the stroller and come to our store now come to us with their own children. Before Corona, children always got a candy: ‘Do you still do that? I always used to get that too’”.
There are too many anecdotes to mention. “It happened that a customer rode into the store while cycling, opened the bicycle bag and said “Willem, fill it up.” Many people don’t have to say what they come for. ‘Just do two’ and then we would know enough. ‘Would you like a stamp with the greeting card?’ ‘No, I still have it!’ ‘That is not my question madam, I am asking what you want, not what you have’”.
The reaction is always nice. A Drent who had emigrated to Australia came to me to get a box of cigars. “What really nice cigars he has, that he had to send to me.” He sent me money and I sent him the cigars. From that moment on we were an International Company. People sometimes say that I’m not on track. There is a small grain of truth in that. I feel good about it. We try to make it a party every day, but of course we also have a “bad” day sometimes.”
Book
The Nije Nering started to become a bit impoverished in the late 1990s, but in early 2010 an owner came along who made his plans come true and built a beautiful shopping center from the ground up. He could soon write a book about his time as a shop owner. “These were good times, but as always, everything has a dark side. The many burglaries we have had to endure cost us a lot of energy. Burglars are always out at night. Many times, even once on New Year’s Eve, I received a call from my bed that it had happened again. What you then find is a lot of devastation and it even happened twice that the entire stock had been removed. Fortunately, this is a thing of the past since purchasing an alarm system. During the Corona epidemic, the store had to close for three months. Fortunately, we remember the good times.”
Many changes have been noted in 36 years. “In the past, payment was only made in cash. The pin was introduced in the 1990s. At first I didn’t want to do it, but was actually forced, customers walked away. The first ATM was linked to the telephone line, so if we had a telephone, it was not possible to withdraw money before the call was ended. In the early days you could still send a fax with us. And then everything changed. On January 1, 1999 we started paying with the euro. In 1990, a pack of 20 Marlboros cost 4 guilders 20 (1 euro 90), now you pay 9 euros 50 (20 guilders 95) for it. In 1988 the Telegraaf cost about 1 guilder 50 on Saturdays, now it is 4 euros 69. You bought a stamp for 0.65 cents, now you pay 1.01 in euros. Pipe tobacco was sold a lot in those years, and I currently have three pipe smokers as customers. Last year, my last customer who still used chewing tobacco (put a wad of tobacco in your mouth and just chew) passed away.”