Noordermarkt haberdasher retires at 86 after 44 years

After 44 years of selling haberdashery at the Noordermarkt, Tineke Tonkes is working her final week at the city’s oldest market.

She has sold sewing supplies there since the early 1980s and become a familiar face to regulars.

Now 86, she says retirement never crossed her mind because she enjoyed the job too much, but she can no longer keep going.

This week she is saying goodbye to her customers and fellow traders from her usual spot. “They are who I will miss the most,” she says.

Born in Groningen, Tonkes lives in the Watergraafsmeer.

When she first moved to Amsterdam she sold sewing supplies from shops in that neighbourhood.

Those shops had to close three times to make way for new housing, so she took her trade to the Noordermarkt and stayed for decades.

She has also had stalls at the Dappermarkt and the Albert Cuypmarkt.

“But I think the Noordermarkt is the nicest market in the city,” she says.

“Over the years I have had many different customers, and especially now I see more and more young people coming. I really like that.”

If her love of the Noordermarkt makes you want to explore more of the city’s stalls, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s best markets.

Source: AT5