Scheltema

Scheltema is a Dutch bookshop and cultural brand based in Amsterdam, operating as part of the Athenaeum bookselling group. The name Scheltema carries a long history in the city: a café of that name opened in 1908 at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 242 and became famous as a journalists' café, frequented by writers such as Simon Carmiggelt, Annie M.G. Schmidt, Gerard Reve, Harry Mulisch and Remco Campert. In the 21st century the Scheltema name is primarily associated with the bookshop Athenaeum | Scheltema, which sells Dutch and English fiction, non-fiction, study books, magazines and cookbooks, and hosts author events and book presentations. The shop publishes bestseller lists (including the Parool top 10) and promotes a 'Book of the Month' and 'Debut of the Month'. It is a private, independent bookselling business, not a listed company, and its website is scheltema.nl. The brand combines a literary retail offer with a historic Amsterdam identity, making it a notable name in the Dutch book trade.

The Scheltema name in Amsterdam begins with a marriage in 1879 between A.P. Scheltema (1851–1940), a member of the Scheltema family, and Anna Maria Augustinus, whose mother ran a café at the foot of the Nieuwe Kerk. After the marriage, that first establishment took the name Scheltema. In 1908, because the café at the church had to be vacated, Scheltema bought the premises at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 242, a former milk salon, and opened a café there on 28 April 1908. Over the following years the family expanded into several hospitality businesses in Amsterdam, but only the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 242 location retained the Scheltema name. After the death of Scheltema Sr. in 1940, his grandson A.P. Scheltema bought the café from the estate. In the post-war period the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal became known as Amsterdam's 'Fleet Street' because of the many newspaper offices located there, and Scheltema became the journalists' café par excellence, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Regulars included writers and journalists such as Simon Carmiggelt, Annie M.G. Schmidt, Gerard Reve, Harry Mulisch, Remco Campert and Henk Hofland, as well as artists, footballers and politicians. In December 1967, Willem (Wim) de Lange Sr., who had worked as a waiter there since 1961, took over the business from Appie Scheltema. However, in the following years the newspaper editorial offices gradually left the street, and by 1972 the café was turning over only a third of its former revenue. Its role as journalists' café passed to café Hesp on the Weesperzijde. The 100th anniversary in 2008 was not celebrated because the proprietors, father and son De Lange, had overlooked it. Recognition came for the 110th anniversary, when the café received the Jubilee Medal of the city of Amsterdam on 20 December 2017, exactly 50 years after Willem de Lange took over; he had died two months earlier at the age of 83. In the 21st century, the Scheltema name is also used by the bookshop Athenaeum | Scheltema, which operates as part of the Athenaeum bookselling group and continues the literary and cultural association of the name in Amsterdam.

• 2017

  The café receives the Jubilee Medal of Amsterdam on 20 December, 50 years after De Lange's takeover.

• 1972

  The café's revenue falls to a third as newspaper offices leave the street.

• 1967

  Willem (Wim) de Lange Sr. takes over the café in December.

• 1940

  After the death of Scheltema Sr., grandson A.P. Scheltema buys the café from the estate.

• 1908

  Scheltema buys Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 242 and opens a café there on 28 April.

• 1879

  A.P. Scheltema marries Anna Maria Augustinus; the café at the Nieuwe Kerk takes the name Scheltema.

A literary bookshop and cultural meeting place in Amsterdam, combining a curated range of Dutch and international titles with a historic café heritage.

• Dutch fiction

• English fiction

• Non-fiction

• Study books

• Magazines

• Cookbooks

1. 1Boekhandel Scheltemaathenaeumscheltema.nl
2. 2Athenaeum | Scheltema | Vacaturesathenaeumscheltema.nl
3. 3Scheltema (café) - Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org
4. 4Scheltemawikidata.org