Many people are interested in the sale of the Pastoe warehouse after a restart

• Ruben Eg

  economics editor

“You only get an opportunity like that once. Or actually: you only get a cupboard like that once.” Visibly delighted, a visitor to the warehouse sale of furniture maker Pastoe pays for his purchase. The company went bankrupt earlier this year. “I have been an enthusiast for so long. Normally I would not have been able to afford such a cabinet.” Today and tomorrow there is a warehouse clearance sale and it attracts many interested parties.

Pastoe, founded in 1913, had considerable debts. When the company went bankrupt in February, it hoped for a restart. This was created with the help of the Dutch design companies Moooi and RSGA Design. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for a design company that delivers quality craft products to market itself,” says Titus Darley, founder of RSGA Design.

The price tags when selling out the stock in the former Pastoe factory in Houten sometimes don’t lie, despite the sometimes high discounts. Sales prices of 1000 euros or more made the iconic designer furniture never accessible to Jan with the cap.

“It’s actually very sad, isn’t it?” says an older visitor, a little shyly, before she makes her move. Two younger visitors also thought this when paying for a TV cabinet. “We still had to go and have a look. We stood in line for a long time. But it was worth it.”

Once the last remaining classic Pastoe furniture has been sold, Darley wants to bring back the well-known old collection and ultimately create new designs. “Pastoe was always progressive. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it was the most international furniture brand in the Netherlands. You become progressive by doing new things and not repeating yourself.”

However, the new designs yet to be created will remain close to the successful basis of the brand from the 1960s. “The strength of all these designs is that they are thirty to forty years old,” Darley points to the cabinets and chairs in the factory. “But because of their clear lines and material quality, they are truly furniture that is passed on from generation to generation.”