From Hobbiesjop Johring to From Under the Rafters

A story of beads, memories and a new beginning.

From Under the Rafters did not start from nothing in 2025, but more than twenty years earlier. My parents once ran a hobby shop in Almere: Hobbiesjop Johring.

How it started

It all began during a visit to KreaDoe, where we came into contact with Tiekids, a brand of DIY kits for soft toys. When it turned out that the Dutch distributor was stopping, my parents decided to take over. They first sold the kits at hobby fairs under the name Hobbiesjop Johring, and later online, at a time when webshops were still emerging. But selling kits alone was not enough to sustain a hobby shop.

In 2005, they bought a house with a shop space in Almere. The assortment quickly expanded. In addition to Tiekids kits, the shop offered materials for card making, painting and jewelry making. There were also gift items such as fairy figurines, music boxes and Nici keychains.

My memories

For me, the shop was a special place. I helped out on weekends and during school holidays, often on quiet days with few customers. But there were also creative highlights: children’s parties, jewelry workshops and making sample jewelry.

Still, running a hobby shop proved to be challenging. Eventually, my parents had to close the doors and the building was sold. In 2010, the remaining stock was moved to the attic, where it stayed for many years.

A new beginning

In 2024, my parents moved again and the attic had to be cleared out. Among the boxes filled with beads and materials, many memories resurfaced. I decided to take over part of the jewelry supplies. Not everything — some materials did not suit me or I did not know what to do with them — but enough to make a fresh start.

That is how From Under the Rafters came into being. Materials that once waited quietly beneath the attic beams now find a second life in unique pieces of jewelry.