The story of: Esther den Engelsman – Den Engelsman Garden materials

Since 1998, the company of Den Engelsman Tuinmaterialen has been located on the Veilingweg on the edge of the village of togetherness, Sint-Annaland. At first it was a contracting company, but when Esther's father saw that there would be no succession, he started with garden materials. Esther and her sisters helped but she officially joined the business in 2013 and took over in 2019.

It was not an easy choice for Esther because she worked with heart and soul in the hospital as a nurse. In 2013, she continued to do that for two more days, but the parental company became more and more interested. She found the contact with the customers very fascinating and she grew more and more in the company where the various types of garden material only grew. In addition to decorative paving, there were also garden tiles, fences, different types of roofs, many types of garden wood, lighting and everything else that has to do with garden materials. She became increasingly busy together with her husband Jeroen and in 2019 she entered the company full-time. The special thing about her work is the advice given to clients.

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“We have something for everyone. Very luxurious products but also less luxurious and products for people with a limited budget. Everyone can come to us.” The customers therefore come from a wide region: the island of Tholen and Sint Philipsland, West Brabant, Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen en Duiveland. The two of them do the work, but Esther's mother still helps with the bookkeeping and her father provided all kinds of manual services until recently. The company underwent a major renovation last year. Two warehouses have been completely renovated into a modern shop and showroom and in the future the remaining warehouse will also be tackled in the same style so that it becomes a uniform and beautiful company. This also applies to the outdoor show garden, which is constantly being adapted with the latest gadgets.

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Esther loves it when customers leave satisfied. “That is also the best advertisement for the company because they tell everyone how satisfied they are and that in turn leads to new customers.” Incidentally, the company is affiliated with Garden Stones Basics. In this way, joint purchases can be made and advertising is also made via social media. "We have many and large suppliers and something can be quickly involved via the GSB if we don't have it for a while." To assist entrepreneurs, it is good that everyone buys locally. “People often think that it is more expensive with us, but when they come, they see that this is not necessary at all. We have many and diverse materials. You don't have to buy right away, but you can come and have a look without obligation. Feel free to make price comparisons. We even appreciate that.”