New book peeks inside beautiful old shops
It’s instant nostalgia: For this new book on historical shop interiors, Flemish author Katherine Ennekens travelled through Flanders in search of unusual old stores. But time is running out for this vulnerable heritage
How we used to shop
“It’s an early interest,” explains Ennekens, who worked closely with photographer Evy Raes on the book. “I’ve always been fascinated by what goes on behind those shop windows and in the living rooms behind the shops. In that respect, a shop is a special place. It’s a private space, but anyone can just walk in and out – preferably to buy something, but not necessarily. Just looking around and absorbing the atmosphere is also an option. In that sense, it touches the thin line between public and private.”
Forty shop interiors are featured in the book, all of them at least 50 years old. The oldest dates back to 1875.
And it’s not just the interiors themselves that are special: The stories that accumulate over time in such a place are equally fascinating.
Now, as it was then
“Everywhere I asked, the shopkeepers were immediately willing to co-operate,” says Ennekens, who worked closely with photographer Evy Raes on the book. “They are usually very proud of their stores and are caring people, with love for the craft and the interior.”
The older the shopkeepers, the more stories, of course
In Sint-Niklaas, for example,” there used to be a drugstore, De Walvis (pictured),” continues Ennekens. “Eight years ago, the store closed, and the manager is now 93. But everything in the store remains as it was then, and every week, the whole shop is cleaned. The store is still part of this woman’s everyday life.”
As would be expected, many of the shopkeepers are older people, which was a bonus for Ennekens. “The older the shopkeepers, the more stories, of course.”
There’s not always a happy, well-preserved ending for these old interiors once the shops close, though, as Ennekens explains. “In 2006 and 2008, I worked with the project Verhalenbazaar (Stories Bazaar), and we brought stories and photos from the vicinity of the station in Antwerp to the public.”
The exhibition was held in an old primeurwinkel from the 1960s, a shop where novelties were on sale for the first time. People came there to marvel at all kinds of new products: the first kiwis, for example.
“The place had a beautiful interior, but it also tells us a lot about the history of how products have come on to the market. We wanted the place to be preserved, and Monumentenzorg, the agency responsible for the protection of heritage, was also thinking in that direction. But in the end it didn’t work.”
The shop was torn down, “and now there is an ordinary pita restaurant there,” says Ennekens. “It’s an irreparable loss because, to my knowledge, there were only two of these custom-made 1960s interiors in Flanders.”
Heritage and commerce
It illustrates how little the value of such interiors is taken into consideration, as heritage but also in commercial terms. Such decor is something unique and offers enormous potential, claims Ennekens. “I think the importance of preserving is starting to seep through quietly, though disasters like the primeurwinkel in Antwerp still happen.”
The stores in the book are divided into three categories: Those that are still open, those that have been closed and those that now have another function. Ennekens considers this last category very important. “I want to show that it is possible to do something new with historic interiors,” she says. “People still have a narrow view of it; an old pharmacy doesn’t have to become another pharmacy but could serve equally well as an office space.”
Time is running out: Valuable interiors are still disappearing
A good example is the butcher Crabbe in the Sint-Gillis district of Brussels. “When I was putting together the book, he was still in business,” says Ennekens, “but now he has stopped, and there’s a bar there, which has maintained the interior. There are plenty of possibilities, but there’s often a lack of creativity and a network where people with ideas can get to know these interiors.”
This book is not an end, she insists, but rather a first attempt at creating awareness of these special pieces of heritage that are disappearing. Ennekens intends to continue to work on the preservation of these interiors. A database could be a next step, and an exhibition and theme walks are in the pipeline.
“I continue to collect new stores; a second book might be on its way,” she says. “But time is running out, and valuable interiors are still disappearing. It’s a sad thing because a place that carries such a history is irreplaceable.”
Photo by Mathias Schelfhout
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