Winckel 213

Since 1946, on Ceintuurbaan 213 in Amsterdam, haberdashery has been sold in a small store run by Corrie van Dijk (1932). Corrie and her staff, ‘suffragettes in haberdashery’, sell buttons in all sizes and ribbons and zippers in all the colours of the rainbow - stored in one of the hundreds of wooden drawers. But before long, she will close her doors; the property has a new owner and the old salesladies cannot maintain their pre-war prices. We follow the assertive women and their patrons in the final days of the shop, where customers sometimes linger for hours before leaving with two buttons. No problem. After all, people need a little chat sometimes. Between times, Corrie tells about her life, the history of the business, her colleagues and how she plans to spend her days after the closing-down sale. The shelves are gradually emptying. Corrie, downhearted: ‘Terrible, to have to remove things you’ve worked with for years.’ Customers nudge each other and ask: ‘Where will you go to now?’ Nostalgia in front of and behind the counter.