Singel 9

In their private account book, the two company founders note: "1841: On March 1, C&A Brenninkmeijer moved into their apartment rented from the widow G. van Gent." According to records from the land registry, Sebastina van Gent, whose husband Gerardus had died of cholera in 1826, owned several properties in Sneek, including three houses at what is now Singel 9. At least one of these properties here had a warehouse. It therefore seems quite possible that the two brothers not only shared an apartment here, but also founded their company C&A in this warehouse. The three houses were demolished in 1858 and replaced by a commercial building belonging to the B. J. Feenstra company, which still stands today.

No population or company registers survive for this period in Sneek. The company's balance book for 1841 contains no entries for rent payments to Sebastina van Gent, so we cannot prove conclusively that the brothers founded their company at this location.