Stijn started collecting dinnerware when he was twelve years old. Not as a joke, but as a real hobby that never left him. Years later, in 2018, he opened Tableware Amsterdam on the Eerste Tuindwarsstraat in the Jordaan: a boutique store that revolves exclusively around antiques and vintage tableware. No sideshow, no extras. Pure tableware, nothing else.
The claim Stijn makes is substantial: the largest collection of vintage and antique dinnerware in the world. Whether that is exactly true is difficult to verify, but at least the collection is impressive in size. Pieces have been collected from all over the world, each with its own origin and history. You will find antique dinnerware from various world collections, vintage tableware for special occasions and unique dinnerware pieces that also work extremely well as gifts. No mass production, no Ikea glass. Everything has a story.
The store is on Eerste Tuindwarsstraat, in the middle of the Jordaan. That's no coincidence. The neighborhood suits the character of the store: cramped, personal, with a crowd that knows what it's looking for. The boutique set-up means you don't end up in an anonymous hall full of shelves, but in a space that feels more like a collector's home than a regular store. That's exactly the point.
Someone who already knew what he liked at age 12, by now he knows exactly what is worth selling.
The store is open Tuesday through Saturday, from eleven to five. Mondays are closed. For those seriously looking for a special piece for their own use, or a gift that really makes sense, this is the place. Stijn has dedicated his life to this craft, you can tell by the selection and the way the store is laid out. Someone who already knew what he liked at age 12, he now knows exactly what is worth selling.