Image by Anne-Marie Ros

I am not a real whiskey drinker but once a friend served me a whiskey that tasted so smooth and soft, what actually changed my idea about this drink. Maybe because of this a new shop ‘WHISKYBASE.com’ attracted my attention?

WHISKYBASE.com started as a website years ago by some Dutch whiskey passionates. If you check out their on-line whiskey community you will see they have members from all over the world. As a member you can upload your own whiskey collection!

Doesn’t a collection always starts with one? I think no one will blame you when you drink your own collection;)

Since late 2011 WHISKYBASE.com openend a shop at the Zwaanshals 540. The only shop in the North of Europe that is 100% dedicated to whiskey from all over the world. 

Check them out, as it will be a nice experience. The owners are on a mission and that is ‘sharing their love for whiskey’ with you. They sell small sampling bottles for you to try.

Since the opening I have been there several times to buy a nice whisky to give away as a present and each time they suggest a different kind, depending on the person I am buying it for.

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WHISKYBASE.com | Shopping | Taste samples € 2.50
Zwaanshals 540 | Noord
Tue – Thu 10:30 – 18:00, Fri 10:30 – 21:00, Sat 10:30 – 17:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Image by Rénia Sastrowidjojo

In between the Zwaanshals and the river Rotte tucked away in a block of houses is Rotabs. An interestingly shaped building.

It was empty for some time after having served as a building for the municipal sanitation service Rotab. Hence the name Rotabs.

Luckily this place was included in the renovation plans to spruce up the entire block which is still in progress. The building is now turned into a creative warehouse where entrepreneurs of diverse disciplines have put up small businesses.

The inside is divided into several units which have tenants like a photographer, a publisher, a goldsmith, a café and a gallery. There are some units left waiting for other daring adventurers to set up shop and where new neighbors have opened shops on the Zaagmolenkade recently.

Initiator Paul Posse is active in the neighbourhood and hopes to create an area like a Camden Town in the Oude Noorden. As Rotabs can be pretty hard to find even for locals, a special bus service is in the making to transport anyone interested to visit this part of the town where much is waiting to be discovered.

Want to find it yourself? Just walk into the Zwaanshals where there’s an entrance through a building leading you to Rotabs. Or do a Route du Nord weekend or visit the Swan Market which is organized several times; an introduction to this area and it’s creative spots, artists and variety of shops.

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ROTABS Stylecenter | Art & culture, Festivals & events, Music, Shopping
Zaagmolenkade 46 | Noord | +31653623230
Wed – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 -17:00

Image by Alexander

More 2nd hand clothing shops = better. It’s not the cheapest one, this one, but that’s also not the strong point (though it has some nice offers every now and then).

The best thing is that the collection and the interior strike a perfect balance between smelly garbage shops and over-hyped vintage. Forget rummaging through grannypants and oversized sweaters from the 80s, this shop has a complete outfit for nearly every semi-hip event and theme party you can think of. From sheepskin carpets to leather catsuits to Palestinian scarfs to hillbilly diamond blouses and high heeled shoes.

I think my last outfit that came from this shop turned out as a white, 1920′s summer outfit worn by French dandy youth who did nothing but read philosophy, flirt in gardens and play games. I had a petanque tournament, so yes, this was perfectly acceptable.

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Cheap Fashion | Shopping | Accessories € 7.50
Meent 25 | Noord | +31104126473
Tue – Thu 09:30 – 17:30, Fri 09:30 – 20:30, Sat 09:30 – 16:30

Image by ALexander

On the other side of town, check out PlusPunt. It’s a sight and site that you don’t see often in the Netherlands. If you enter through the gate on the Noorderhavenkade, you end up on a bicycle-stuffed courtyard surrounded by old shipping containers.

Every container is modified with a grinder into a mini-shop with a colourful sign. The end result is more than a bicycle repair shop, computer shop, clothing shop and second hand shop together: this is a trailer park circus.

In sharp contrast with the spaciously arranged Piekfijn (check the Piekfijn article) and HetGoed, these container are stacked top-to-bottom for maximum storage efficiency. The twenty or so gents and dames that populate the trailers are part of a supported labour trajectory. They are extremely helpful and happy with their activities. If you’re searching a racebike, they’ll go on the lookout for one.

Otherwise Pluspunt is a nice spot to have your bike fixed, get your hand-stripped copper wires or just look around and chat a bit. Since March they’ve expanded the bicycle workshop and now they also make pies. Why not.

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Pluspunt | Art & culture, Shopping | 4 wineglasses € 1
Noorderhavenkade 142 | Noord | +31104676614
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 16:30

Image by ALexander

The single most cozy Turkish coffee place I know. In general, coffee houses don’t seem to consider fluorescent tubes and plastic chairs as non-attractive features. In fact, these seem to replace the need for exterior signs or decoration (like the one that recently occupied what still looks like coffeeshop “High Score: no sales to those double parked” – come on, this is asking for confusion, no?)

Nika on the other hand has more to offer than a nice ambiance inside. Its mixture of a cafe, traditional shop, apple pie, wifi and art gallery attracts a nice cultural variety of people. During lunchtime it can even get crowded. Their own brand of coffee is prepared according to their recipe, from the burning process on, and makes a fairly good espresso. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so. Modesty not being one of their crucial virtues, they’ve got their four “coffee trophies” clearly in sight and written on a sign outside. Hey, why not. Update: now they do toasted sandwiches & wine too.

The only downside might be the three-legged tables. I’m just really not able to keep myself from leaning on the wrong side.

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Nika | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Espresso € 2.10
Benthuizerstraat 94a | Noord | +31102457940
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 20:00