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Breda – The First Years
BeBoB Design was originally a shop in Breda, it stood on the Ginnekenweg number 28, selling clothing, utility items and now and then period furniture from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Casey Godrie approached the owners and proposed that they work together, not with the intention of pursuing profit but with the goal of setting up a BeBoB Design foundation, later to become Bebob Design. After a number of years they saw that exploiting such a shop to sell design furniture was not working and decided to go their own separate ways. Godrie withdrew the design furniture aspect of the foundation and took to developing his concepts in new directions. In this period he worked with an interior designer setting up and running a shop specializing in ‘romantic’ curios. He continued to collect second-hand items, the majority of which consisted of design furniture and after a number of years, it became inevitable that he would revive the BeBoB Design enterprise and concentrate on its growth and development. During this last period of collaboration, Godrie located and fitted out a show-window on the Herenstraat in Amsterdam. The items in the ever-growing BeBoB Design collection were better received in Amsterdam than in Breda. Godrie’s association with Hans Kenma, of the casting agency of the same name, was to prove fruitful, he steered everyone from his diverse circle of colleagues, clients and friends in the direction of BeBoB Design.
Breda + Amsterdam Period, Different Locations in Amsterdam
The big step to Amsterdam came when Godrie got invited by Hans Kemna, (Kemna Casting) to speak with the owner of Rotor and took over Rotor, a design shop operating out of a basement along the Singel canal at number 105. The tone was set and the routine of buying-in new stock throughout the week and selling designer bric-a-brac on Friday and Saturday afternoons fast became a successful formula. After a number of years at the Singel 105, and fitting-out other show-window spaces throughout the city in order to build up the BeBoB Design Design name, Godrie sprung upon the opportunity to present his collection in a temporarily empty building on the Utrechtse Straat. Ironically he had intended for it only to be a showroom for the collection, but he found himself inundated with punters and from that moment BeBoB Design officially opened its door on Saturdays. In the meantime the glossy magazines had discovered BeBoB Design making use of its collection of design furniture and lighting to fill their pages. To satisfy the amassing crowds Godrie was encouraged by the Frozen Fountain, BeBoB Design’s neighbour at the time on the Utrechtse Straat, to take on one half of the building, the other half to be filled with art deco furniture from de Vredespijp, the shop from which the Frozen Fountain evolved. BeBoB Design’s speciality, design classics complemented the art deco pieces and the Frozen Fountain’s range of new designer products. After a time Frozen Fountain moved on to larger premises on the Prinsengracht. Sales were good and the continuing desire to expand was soon realised, and a suitable property was located on the Prinsengracht for BeBoB Design . It was an old DAF automobile garage. BeBoB Design rented it and renovated it to function as a showroom/ store. De Vredespijp left the Utrechtse Straat location, Utrechtse Straat 101became BeBoB Design Lighting & Presents while the new location at Prinsengracht 764 became BeBoB Design Interior. BeBoB Design continued to operate for a number of years alone on the Utrechtse Straat until a period of collaboration with Eigenwijs. The furniture and lighting from the BeBoB Design collection became the backdrop for the art-deco style furniture sold by Eigenwijs.
Breda, Antwerp (Belgium), Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Hilversum, Groningen Period
During this time BeBoB Design could still be found operating on the Prinsengracht 764 under the new name of BeBoB Design Amsterdam. It survives no doubt due to the fact that over the years similar projects have been started up by Godrie embodying the BeBoB Design spirit in: Antwerpen, Breda, Hilversum, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. Conny Godrie, Casey’s sister ran these other business initiatives. Sadly, Conny was involved in a fatal accident, immediately reducing BeBoB Design’s capacity to operate at a large scale and causing Casey to step back from the business. Reduced in size and ambition BeBoB Design continued to run under appointed personnel. BeBoB Design on the Ginnekenweg 28 was kept going under the guidance of ‘Mevrouw Godrie’, the mother of Casey and Conny.
Less Locations after a mourning period of about 5 years, after Casey’s sister passed away in a car accident, working for BeBoB Design
Since June 2003 Casey was again the man to speak to at Bebob Design Amsterdam, and in Breda, not every day, because still sad… Godrie is thEn reflecting upon and considering the new challenges ahead for BeBoB Design. He already started to lay tracks into new territory: renting the collection e.g in co-operation with www.netalsindefilm.nl to television talk shows and soap operas and with participating in traveling exhibitions.
Restart BeBoB Design, new ways, new strategies
In 2007, 10 years after his sister passed away, Casey Godrie is connecting his brother in law, Pieter van Haperen, the partner of his pasted away sister Conny, with the BeBoB Design clients and producers. He gave a new impuls to BeBoB Design during a difficult period for BeBoB Design. In 2010 Casey invested more time again in BeBoB Design and moved the base to Keizersgracht 300, a better, bigger location. In the end of 2011 BeBoB Design started a new website with web-shop. BeBoB Design moved then to different locations again, in pop-up-store deals and realised in this traject that a large scale presentation was not necessary anymore. Many items on the web and making appointments on different locations became the new strategy. BeBoB Design still opens her doors then for you te get inspired or to buy something or make an appointment with a specialist in her field.
Online period
All this years, from 2011 until 2019 Casey didn’t support BeBoB Design that much anymore since he preferred living a more spiritual life, travelling a lot and trying to help people via his foundation and in private, in the flow. Since he could more easy get connected online he focused more an his online BeBoB Design & Icons & Props. The formule is, online sites, just a warehouse and some appointment locations in Amsterdam, Breda, Zandvoort & IJMuiden, no physical galleries & stores This works well and this online stores supply the happy few, many Dutch celebrities and many people in USA, the capitals of Europe, Australia, Japan and Korea. They even sold vintage interior design pieces at the president of America & Solange Beyonce in the USA. If you first want to try…. You can still see, feel and sit in a chair before you buy, by appointment in Amsterdam, Zandvoort, Breda, or best in IJmuiden, where the warehouse is.
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- Address: 1976 CV IJmuiden Industriestraat 42, Netherlands
- Address: Amsterdam, Amstel, Netherlands
- Address: Zandvoort, Dune Area, Netherlands
- Address: Breda, Centre, Netherlands
- Email: info@bebob.eu
Prices for all items are all inclusive, without extra VAT or VAT specification. All in is Total Consumer Price, without extra taxes.