Barrel organ company Perlee is closing its doors after nearly a century on the Westerstraat in the Jordaan. The entire building is being sold, and the instruments will be auctioned on Saturday.
The business was founded in 1875 and moved to Westerstraat in 1932. Current owner Leon van Leeuwen, who has lived on the second floor his entire life, is the final heir to run the workshop.
Van Leeuwen decided to stop because the costs had become unmanageable. His brother Jan had already stepped away earlier, leaving Leon to run the business alone while caring for their mother.
Global interest in the auction
The workshop, which also served as a museum for a time, opened to visitors ahead of the sale. Enthusiasts from across the country travelled to hear the instruments play in the space one final time.
Auctioneer Richard Singh expects collectors and fairground operators from the United States, China, Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands. Smaller family items will start at 20 euros, while showpiece organ De Pipo is expected to fetch over 100,000 euros.
Following the sale, Van Leeuwen plans to leave Amsterdam and emigrate to Florida this winter to be with a woman he met in Cuba in 1995, whom he reconnected with through Facebook in January.
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