March 16, 2017 · Team HG
Café Hammingh in Garnwerd is available for rent. Operators Bert Lange and Margriet van der Spek are ceasing operations after nearly a quarter of a century at the more than 180-year-old café, which is situated on the Reitdiep in the province of Groningen.
For over a hundred years, three generations of the Hammings operated the well-known café in Garnwerd. Egbert Hammingh junior and his wife Fenna Hammingh-Zwartsenburg were the last members of the family to work there. In addition to the café, the Hammingh family also owned a shipbreaking yard. Once a year, on 'Bouldag', the scrap wood from the yard was auctioned in the village and reused for building houses and the like.
In addition to an atmospheric café with a terrace overlooking the Reitdiep, the establishment also features a restaurant and overnight accommodation in the Doorrit or the Brugwachtershuis. The current owner of the property is Matthijs van der Ploeg (Heiploeg shrimp processing); he purchased the café from the Hammingh family in 1983.
Bert Lange and Margriet van der Spek have been running Café Hamming since 1993 and would have preferred to continue doing so until their retirement. However, their divorce a few years ago, combined with a good working relationship and many hours spent collaborating, makes it difficult to go their own way, and therefore they are looking for a successor. "As far as we are concerned, Café Hammingh will simply continue to exist; we celebrated our 180th anniversary last year, and if it is up to us, there will certainly be another 180 years to come."
They agreed with property owner Van der Ploeg to have hospitality real estate agent Kiek Busquet of Helder Horecamakelaardij search for new tenants. They are personally assessing whether the successors are suitable for the business takeover. Lange and Van der Spek will keep Café Hammingh open until new tenants are found; these tenants will then rent the café with the upstairs room, terrace, bed & breakfast, and function room.
