Historic Amsterdam tea shop ‘t Zonnetje closes after 450 years amid rent hike battle
On May 31, 2025, ‘t Zonnetje, the historic tea and coffee shop on Haarlemmerdijk, closed for good, marking the end of nearly 450 years of continuous operation. The closure followed a prolonged legal battle over soaring rent increases that left owner Marie-Louise Velder unable to keep the business afloat, AT5 reports.
Velder, who has run the shop since 2000, had previously described the pain of seeing the business forced to shut amid Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary celebrations. The shop, originally opened in 1642 selling coal and water, later became famous for specialty teas and coffees sourced globally from places like Ethiopia, Colombia, China, and Sri Lanka.
For years, Velder managed a monthly rent of 3,000 euros. However, the landlord proposed doubling that rent, a move the court partially reduced but still set the new rent around 4,300 euros per month — a cost Velder said was impossible to cover. “I haven’t slept in three weeks because of all this noise. When you have been open for almost 450 years — we are the oldest in Europe — and suddenly it can’t continue, that hurts,” Velder told AT5.
Many regular customers came by to say farewell. One tearful patron said, “It’s so beautiful. Who wants to get rid of this? It just can’t be.” Another blamed “a few greedy landlords” and expressed frustration that the municipality appears powerless to intervene. “I find it more than disgraceful,” the customer told AT5.
Political attention has increased. D66 councilor Erik Schmit recently launched a reporting point for entrepreneurs facing excessive rent hikes. He criticized landlords for setting rents based on the highest-priced stores in the area rather than a fair average. “What does a landlord do? They look at four or five of the priciest stores in the area,” Schmit said.
“That’s not entirely fair. I want to empower local entrepreneurs with training to negotiate better with landlords.” Schmit also wants to amend zoning laws to protect traditional craft businesses by allowing only similar companies to replace them.
Velder hopes the government will step in to regulate rent hikes. “That we have no protection — it’s killing us. It’s becoming like America, where only supermarkets survive and everything else disappears.”
Attempts by AT5 to contact the landlord were unsuccessful. It remains unclear what business will replace ‘t Zonnetje’s space on Haarlemmerdijk, leaving both Velder uncertain about the building’s future.
