The story of: Esmée Reijngoudt of the Sjap in Sint Philipsland

Esmée Reijngoudt has owned De Sjap in the Voorstraat in Sint Philipsland since 2018. She then took over the shop from Kees Neele, better known as 'Kees van de Sjap.' On her site you can read where this nickname comes from. Very interesting. The range on offer is very wide, from children's clothing to gift items and from sweets to clothing and shoe repairs. Esmée runs the shop all by herself, except on Saturdays when she is supported by the youngest servant, one of her children.

After having lived in faraway Singapore for 17 years, Esmée and her husband Kees exchanged the bustle of that city for the tranquility of his native village in 2018. To be close to her children and to be able to integrate extra quickly, they took over the store from Kees Neele, who had indicated just before that they wanted to stop. In addition to the fact that Sint Philipsland has a beautiful supermarket and restaurant, residents do not have to leave the village for many other things. “Thanks to the wide range we offer, we want to be there for young people and for the elderly,” says Esmée. Her customers therefore mainly come from Sint Philipsland and Anna Jacobapolder. Other residents of Tholen also regularly come in when they are visiting family.

Modern edition of the Winkel van Sinkel

 'Everything is for sale in the Winkel van Sinkel …………….' that's how it feels when you read the story of this entrepreneur. De Sjap's products and services complement each other very well. This is also because there is a need among the residents and therefore they do not have to cross the bridge at all to do their shopping elsewhere. “We try to sell as many different items as possible in our store so that people can come to us for all kinds of things. Think of gifts, toys, haberdashery or baby clothes from Feetje. We also have clothing for adults in our range, such as Brams Paris jeans for men, underwear and tights from the Marianne brand. In addition, knitted and crochet cotton from Durable. We sell the best peanut butter in the Netherlands from the brand De Pindakaaswinkel. Children can come to us for delicious sweets.” But De Sjap also moves with the times because it is also a service & parcel point for DHL, DPD and UPS. In addition to repairing clothing and shoes, you can also hand in your sewing machine for maintenance or repair. And finally, it's also useful to know that this versatile store also has a dry cleaning service.

Come, now that the weather is allowed, come to the store

A lot has been ordered online lately. That's easy, but nothing beats a visit to the store. Marlies has been hearing this a lot lately from her customers who were allowed to come shopping again. “I have time and attention for the customer and you can choose and try on things at your leisure. Shops in general not only provide cosiness, but also the quality of life in the cores. All in all, it is nice that certain services and products are also available in a core such as Sint Philipsland and that residents do not have to drive far for everything. If you agree with that, you'll probably buy locally," is the firm conviction of Esmée Reijngoudt.