Review R-Magazine

Een uit duizenden 2Een uit duizenden 1Hesemans – Gift and toy store

One out of thousands!

By: Jeannette Hardam

One in a million is the gift – and toy store of the family Hesemans. You don’t know where to look first! Collectors shop is a better name for what you find there. Some customers even call it a museum. Collectors items such as the M.I. Hummel figures, hundreds of beautiful artist dolls and bears, an army of Tin soldiers, boxes with hand-painted Russian art, Decorative crystal items and still so much more attracts people from far beyond our borders to the shop on Houtmarkt in the Centre of Breda.

“We are on the list of the ‘Best shops in the city centre of Breda’”, says Maria Hesemans. “The items that we sell really catch people’s eyes. Not just once a day but quite a few times. “However, our image as an expensive shop is not accurate”, her son Johan adds. “We sell stuff for one euro and the items that we sell that are also found in chain businesses can be found here often for a cheaper price. That image was created because we sell the more expensive quality products.”

Hours spent wandering the store….

Shelves full of bears made from different materials, the most unique dolls, from small to life-size, showcases full of dollhouse things; like a plate with an egg, sausage and cheese paste, Delft blue vases, a sewing kit, or a brush to shine your shoes. Hours can be spent looking around without getting the least bit bored. There are wind up Tin toys. Do you remember them from back in the day? Thousands of miniature cars are displayed in cases and boxes, there are model trains over which the collector goes crazy, the Schleich fairies, dragons and Knights that make your imagination run wild and the real matryoshka dolls tell their story from large to small. Then there’s crystal from Ǻhus; Salviati from Murano, Glass items from Italy and three dimensional full Franz porcelain and more … What is not in stock, will be ordered for you with pleasure.

It’s an ‘ inexpensive bazar ‘ combined with an exclusive shop.

Johan Hesemans regularly visits Germany, the country that traditionally produces quality toys. Most of the produce in the shop comes from there. “Solidity and especially security is our hallmark. Contrary to popular belief, not everything found in Dutch shops is safe! Once a year we visit the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, the largest toy fair in the world. We go here to be up to date and to keep the store moving with current times. We continue our search for new quality products. So our range has slowly but surely changed over the years. In 1870 the family Biermans started a toy store at this location that Martien’s father took over in 1943. His inexpensive bazaar ‘ grew into the exclusive Hesemans of the present, of which Johan is the 3rd generation owner. Since 2001, our range can be viewed and ordered from our website. ”

The life of the Hesemans revolves around toys. Their shop is testimony of this. In Maria’s case her fascination with dolls evolved into artistry. This year she was again nominated for the Max-Oscar-Arnold art award of Neustadt.

R-Magazine lifestylemagazine For region Breda Summer 2010 /special Breda the best inner city of The Netherlands