On Friday, economic alderman Robert Simons opened the vintage store with Milena van den Berg. She is the one who runs Hello Darkness.

Van den Berg knows what it is like to run a business on Nieuwe Binnenweg. She was previously a store manager at SUSAN BIJL. That Rotterdam brand, known for its eponymous bags, has a store further down in the longest shopping street in the city.

Starter Store

Hello Darkness is located in the Starter Store at Nieuwe Binnenweg 10H. A Starter Store offers starting and growing entrepreneurs an accessible opportunity to open a physical store. This is possible because a Starter Store has a flexible rental contract and because the entrepreneur can immediately use the retail space.

Last year, Alderman Simons put a sticker on the building with the text Do you see yourself here?. There was a lot of interest in the building on Nieuwe Binnenweg. The choice fell on Hello Darkness because the vintage store fits the character of the shopping street.

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Vital Core Areas Fund

The building where Hello Darkness is located was previously purchased by the municipality with funds from the Vital Core Areas Fund. That fund is part of the Vital Core Areas program. Link opens an external page. 

With this program, and with funds from the fund, the municipality aims to combat vacancy in shopping areas, prevent undermining, and stop the degradation of the retail offer. 

Alderman Simons is pleased that Hello Darkness has taken up residence on Nieuwe Binnenweg. Rotterdammers want attractive shopping streets: clean, safe, and lively. By specifically addressing vacancy and offering promising entrepreneurs like Milena a chance, we strengthen shopping areas and increase the livability of the city.

More Information

If you want to know more about the Vital Core Areas Fund, go to this webpage. Link opens an external page from Ondernemen010.nl.