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Our Story
A question we are regularly asked:
"HOW DID PRACHT COME ABOUT AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN EXISTENCE?"
Pracht has been around for 18 years now, but our entrepreneurial adventure started long before that. We are very excited to share our story with you.
WE TAKE YOU BACK TO THE 80'S
We, sisters Corien and Barbara, are real Utrecht girls, born and raised in this beautiful city. Entrepreneurship is instilled in us from birth, our parents were also entrepreneurs. Before the opening of Pracht, we had been in the same building on the Oudegracht for 21 years. Here we had our shop 'Uit De Kunst'. We had a frame shop, sold greeting cards and in the beautiful wharf cellar we sold many paintings, frames, art and posters.
Before we took over 'Uit De Kunst', Barbara already had a part-time job at this shop. One day she came home with the story that the shop was for sale. Corien had already completed her training at the fashion school and had started a franchise wool shop at the age of 18. She did this together with her aunt at number 8 in the Choorstraat. Knitting, crocheting and handicrafts were very popular in the early 80s. Unfortunately, this trend slowly passed and the turnover of the wool shop dropped considerably.
SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE
Our parents were happy to think along with us and were completely in favor of their girls taking over 'Uit De Kunst'. Barbara still had to finish high school, but would then run the store with Corien. No sooner said than done; 'Uit De Kunst' was taken over on May 1, 1986 and Corien already started there.
After graduating, Barbara had other plans and thought about studying tourism. In the meantime, the idea of starting a gift shop had also arisen. This was a difficult choice for Barbara, who was 18 at the time.
This last plan, the gift shop, only really started to take shape when a beautiful building presented itself on Steenweg 22 in Utrecht. Barbara eventually chose entrepreneurship. The gift shop 'For You' opened its doors in 1987. At that time, the gift shop was filled with lots of fun stuff; including Garfield, Snoopy and many fun gadgets.
DOING BUSINESS TOGETHER, EACH IN THEIR OWN SPOT IN THE BEAUTIFUL UTRECHT.
Corien op de Oudegracht and Barbara op de Steenweg. Doing business together, each in their own spot in beautiful Utrecht. In 1996, 9 years later, it was decided to sell 'For You'. We were married in the meantime and wanted children. Continuing together in 'Uit De Kunst' was the best choice. That way we could both work three days instead of six and there was enough time for the children.
Everyone knew where to find us on the Oudegracht. People always talked about 'the card shop' or 'the crooked building on the corner'. We were specialized in all kinds of framing and therefore had a large clientele, both private individuals and companies, including the Railway Museum and the NS.
We did that with great pleasure all those years, but after 21 years we were ready for a new challenge. The growth had stopped and there was a lot of competition in the meantime. What also played a role was that framing large paintings, carrying them up and down the stairs in our small building and also delivering them, was physically quite hard work. Also with a view to the future it was a good plan to change sector.
BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
One thing was paramount: We will stay in Utereg, our city and at this place! There is a lot of hustle and bustle here, every day is different. So… the sisters started brainstorming. What would suit us and the building? What do we like? What makes us happy? We came up with all sorts of things; lingerie, clothing, ice cream, delicacies and chocolates. We had the most fun with the latter, because we would be the biggest customer ourselves. So not that after all!
We eventually found jewelry and accessories to be the most fitting idea for the most beautiful and smallest building on the Oudegracht. After a year of research and preparations, we knew exactly which brands we wanted to sell and what the store should look like. Many possible names were considered, but in the end, one stood out that covered the whole load.
BEAUTY WAS BORN!
After the closure of 'Uit De Kunst' we were closed for a month. During this period we worked very hard and the shop underwent a metamorphosis. Stylishly decorated with a beautiful interior and filled with 'beautiful' jewelry, Pracht opened its doors on September 30, 2006. A few busy years followed and we were very happy that we had made the right decision, because that was very exciting in the beginning.
Five years later we were ready to design a webshop. This was quite a job, but we see it as a good addition to our company! During the first lockdown we gave our website and webshop a completely new look. We are very proud of that, it looks fresh and beautiful.
A few years later, our beautiful shipyard cellar also got a facelift. If you haven't been there yet, it's definitely worth taking a look! The stairs to the cellar can be found at the back of our shop and we sell beautiful bags, scarves and other accessories here. We also poke holes in the cellar in peace.
We, Corien and Barbara, both have our qualities and complement each other well. But without the fantastic girls in our team we would be nowhere. They always come up with good ideas, think along, have a great dedication and we have a great time together. What is especially nice and special, is that our daughters Fleur and Sophia are now also working at Pracht!
Over the past 15 years we have been able to help and make many ladies and gentlemen from Utrecht and far beyond happy with our "Beautiful" jewelry and accessories, Pracht.nl lives up to its name!
We will also be happy to serve everyone at P racht.nl in the coming years and the collection will always be up-to-date. We will always surprise you with beautiful new items in the store and online!
We look forward to seeing you soon at Pracht aan de Gracht.
With beautiful greetings,