Drugstore Van der Pigge, a household name in Haarlem! It is a drugstore and pharmacy located in Haarlem. The history of the store goes back to 1849 when Jacob van der Pigge founded the business. Since then it has been a family business and this beautiful store is now run by the fifth and sixth generation.
Dryers
In 1821, Antonie van der Pigge was born. His father Jan had run a tobacco trade and tobacco core business for 21 years. In addition to tobacco, exotic herbs and spices were imported via ships. Father Jan did see opportunities to expand the trade into "drying plants" only that did not fit in his own store. Dryers is an old word for a drugstore. Jan waited until his son was old enough in independent business.
Antonie graduated as a druggist and in 1845 bought the building Gierstraat 3 where the business is still located. In 1849, Antonie started his own "affair in dry goods, chemicals and paint goods.
First telephone line
Antonie and his wife had four daughters. The oldest married the store's first clerk, Joannes van Os. In 1885, Joannes took over the business. Although he was a great lover of new gadgets, he did not change anything about the interior. Joannes was also very interested in telephony and was one of the first residents of Haarlem with a telephone line. Unfortunately, Joannes did not grow old. His oldest son, Anton, named after his grandfather Antonie, took over the business at a young age.
Tom Thumb and the giant
Anton van der Pigge was the third and most illustrious owner of the business. He began his career as a druggist in 1910. In the early 1920s, his neighbors, the brothers-in-law Vroom and Dreesmann, had plans to expand. Their haberdashery business was doing well and their warehouse 'De Zon' in Lange Veerstraat was a success. But they wanted more: a large department store was to rise on the Verwulft. They bought up several premises, so all the business around Van der Pigge disappeared. Anton, however, refused to sell his premises. For three years, the brothers-in-law tried to persuade him, but Anton remained firm and always said "no. You can still clearly see the giant built around Klein Duimpje Van der Pigge.
Gaper
The gaper above the entrance to the store is Van der Pigge's iconic image. Gapers are signposts especially for dry goods stores. Dating back to the time when people could not all read and write, such a sign indicated exactly what was for sale in a store. Why they were called gapers is not entirely clear, but that they have their mouths open is an important aspect. The meaning comes from that when an expert in natural health care showed your tongue. 'Say aaaa....'
During World War II, Anton decided to organize a Gaper exhibition in the Main Guard on the Grand Place.
Change of direction and women
In 1976, Anton, the longest-serving owner, took his leave and handed over management to his son Jan. In 1993, Jan's son Menno succeeded him. With the rise of orthomolecular views, the company decided to change course. Fewer original drugstore items and more nutritional supplements appeared on the shelves.
Menno expanded his team to include employees specializing in natural medicine and chose to hire more women. Whereas for many years the business employed mostly men, by the 150th anniversary in 1999 women outnumbered men.
Sixth generation
In 2007, Menno died of an incurable disease, causing a series of problems. Family members who were once close came to be diametrically opposed to each other. The grief affected not only the family, but also the employees and the entire city of Haarlem.
Yet the family eventually came out of this dark period strong. Since 2015, Menno's wife Astrid ran the drugstore, with their daughter Sophie as manager behind the counter since 2017.
A visit to Drugstore Van der Pigge is definitely worthwhile. You'll find healthy and natural products such as dietary supplements, herbal remedies and skin care. Plus, the historic interior is eye-catching, complete with stopper bottles, pointy bags and gapers. The good of the past, with the best of the present.