LEEELIJK by Ari Hoekstra
Products, Private get together, Part of Who is Amsterdam Tours
About Ari Hoekstra
ARI IS A TRUE AMSTERDAM INSTITUTION, EVEN THOUGH HE’S A PROUD FRISIAN.
Trust us when we say, you just gotta meet him. A bona fide hustler, who lives off a steady diet of Coke, chips, and creativity, Ari’s life has been a zigzag adventure, led by intuition, impatience, and a stroke of luck. But what really drives him? His customers and community – the people who visit Ari’s vintage shop to get trinkets and a dose of Ari’s magnetic personality + no-bullshit humor.
Ari on Youtube
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Ari Hoekstra (55) is a true Amsterdam institution, even though he's a proud Frisian.
Trust us when we say, you just gotta meet him. A bona fide hustler, who lives off a steady diet of Coke, chips, and creativity, Ari's life has been a zigzag adventure, led by intuition, impatience, and a stroke of luck. But what really drives him? His customers and community - the people who visit Ari's vintage shop to get trinkets and a dose of Ari's magnetic personality + no-bullshit humor.

Meet the man
What Ari claims
ARI'sJOURNEY
Call it fate. Or sheer impulse. Ari's a master at turning"aha moments" into action. From love to business, Ari's never been one to walk the line.

30 years ago, Ari (55) moved to Amsterdam from Friesland (North Holland) to work at a hotel where he met the love of his life, Alice.

1989. Down came the Berlin wall. For the first time, opened doors for Ari to travel to Budapest, Hungary. When Ari visited a local flea market, he fell in love again - this time, with pre-loved couches and chairs, fraying rugs, and other "pretty rubbish" - at a sweet, sweet price he couldn't resist. The same day, Ari hamstered up and stuffed his van full with treasures. When he came home to Amsterdam, he kissed pay checks goodbye, and started his vintage business venture together with Alice.
"What's that?" Ari asked a the waiter about the glass cylinder with a handle and a beak, resting on their dinner table. 23 years since his first trip, Ari's still fascinated by Hungarian ways. "Oh this is the original way we made soda water." Eureka. Another grand sweep. Ari and Alice drove back to Amsterdam, to the soundtrack of clinking glass and rattling wood. In 2014, "Amsterdamse Spuitwaterfabriek"(Amsterdam Spraywater Factory) was born.

Success was imminent.
Amsterdamse Spuitwaterfabriek made a splash, but Ari decided to turn the space into his second vintage shop. See the picture above? That's Ari's shop next to his neighbour's shop, Moooi. 2014. Ari didn't have a name for it back then. One Saturday morning, another "Aha" moment went viral.

Details & Info
Ari Hoekstra’s short bio comes here… and some more information on the exclusive deal LEEELIJK made with Who is Amsterdam. PAY-OFF Don’t be a stranger…