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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS
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4.
Oosterdijk 7–9
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Oosterdijk 7/9
In 1860, the brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer purchased a building at what is now Oosterdijk 9, three houses west of the address they had rented in 1855. The new property no longer served solely as a warehouse for fabrics awaiting delivery to customers: Clemens and August opened their first retail shop here on August 14, 1860. Thanks to this milestone, the house went down in company history as the 'Stammhaus', the original headquarters.
In 1897, the brothers expanded the Stammhaus. They acquired the neighbouring property to the west, demolished the building there, and constructed an addition to the Stammhaus on the site. They gave the façades of both houses a uniform appearance, creating the semi-detached house that still stands at Oosterdijk 7/9.
References to the first shop as the 'Stammhaus', along with later advertising that repeatedly linked images of this building with the founding year of 1841, soon led to the mistaken assumption that C&A had been founded at this location. This information also appeared on an information panel originally mounted on the wall of Oosterdijk 7/9, recently removed due to renovations.
C&A operated a branch here until 1940, when it moved to larger premises at Kruizebroederstraat 89/91. The company then rented the semi-detached house to other relatives, the owners of H. Brenninkmeijer Zonen.
Today, two branches of women's clothing companies have their premises at Oosterdijk 7/9.