Websites pointing their readers in the direction of a ‘coffeeshop’ in Amsterdam’s infamous De Wallen will have traditionally been speaking to a particular clientele. The stag party pit of stoned misogynists high on a cocktail of THC, vodka and Red Bull, bicarbonate of soda sold as cocaine and meaningless sex has been on the receiving end of a government led clean up over the past few years however – and now, seemingly, a coffeeshop is no longer solely a euphemism for a ‘licensed’ reefer bar.
The seediness of its locale has clearly not been lost on Quartier Putain (get back to French lessons if it’s lost on you), but that’s to be expected when you’re associated with an urban record label – Top Notch‘s offices are located upstairs and will be using the venue for events. Cult Dutch literary icon Heinz Hermann Polzer (aka Drs. P, and 94 years young this year) is the inspiration for the name, and his Top Notch-released single of the same name will be one of the hundreds of 7″ records playable via a jukebox in the coffee shop; a token for which is given away with each cup of coffee.
And what of that coffee? It’s connoisseur shit, with all those fancy hipster contraptions that look suspiciously like the sort of thing you may have come across in that other type of ‘coffeeshop’. The design is equally as discerning – graphic designer Jay Sunsmith brings a quirky illustrative edge to architect Jeroen Vester‘s rustic renovation, whilst vintage and contemporary furnishings marry well. Top Notch stuff indeed.
Photography, Dielis Rentrop
