Café Hammingh in Garnwerd is for rent. After almost a quarter of a century, owners Bert Lange and Margriet van der Spek stop operating the more than 180-year-old café, which is located on the Reitdiep in the province of Groningen.
History
For over a hundred years, three generations of Hammings operated the well-known café in Garnwerd, Egbert Hammingh junior and his wife Fenna Hammingh-Zwartsenburg were the last of the family to work in the café. The Hammingh family also owned a shipbreaking yard in addition to the cafe. Once a year on 'Bouldag', the scrap wood from the shipbreaking yard was auctioned in the village and reused for building houses and the like.
In addition to an attractive café with a terrace on the water of the Reitdiep, the venue also includes a restaurant and accommodation options in the Doorrit or the Brugwachtershuis. The current owner of the building is Matthijs van der Ploeg (Heiploeg shrimp processing), he bought the café in 1983 from the Hammingh family.
Future
Bert Lange and Margriet van der Spek have been running café Hamming since 1993 and would have preferred to do so until their retirement. The combination of their divorce a few years ago, despite good cooperation and many hours of working together, does not make it easy to go their own way, which is why a successor is sought. ''As far as we're concerned, Café Hammingh will continue to exist, we celebrated the 180th anniversary last year and if it's up to us, there will be at least another 180 years''.
They agreed with property owner Van der Ploeg to have catering broker Kiek Busquet from Helder Horecamakelaardij look for new tenants. They themselves check whether the successors are suitable for the company takeover. Lange and Van der Spek keep Café Hammingh open until new tenants are found, who then rent the café with upstairs room, terrace, bed & breakfast and party room.
