Anyone who enters the Plek Conceptstore enters a world full of colour. The walls, ceiling and many products are in pink. The tiles on the wall in front of the cash register are bright gold. “It was a lot of work. We mapped it all out. Everything is in a certain style,” says de Jong. “The store is a reflection of my personality.”

De Jong always wanted to work in the fashion industry. “In high school, I had the idea of ​​starting my own business. At the same time I also had the natural image in my head. I would get that piece of paper and then I would go and study in Groningen just like my friends.

Homesickness for Leeuwarden

It turned out differently. De Jong did not receive a HAVO. “Either I wasn’t in school or I was talking backwards in class. The night before I always had to ask: ‘What’s the homework again?'” De Jong laughs. “I had a lot of fun at school, but I didn’t understand the point of it . I knew I wanted to work on clothes. Why do I care about studying history?

De Jong began his secondary vocational education in the field of fashion. “My work is great. During my training, I learned how real life works. I moved to Amsterdam to train and work.

After a year the capital became too much for her. “As an intern, I worked hard. It was a dream to work for such a big fashion company. But I worked very long weeks, and it was difficult to build a new social life. I felt homesick for Leeuwarden.

“I can no longer enjoy the little things”

And so De Jong is back. After several jobs outside of fashion, she was able to find work that suited her passion again. “But that was very disappointing. The atmosphere at work was very bad. I was always working on that. If it had been the weekend, I would have been very happy on Friday evening. But on Sunday I had a stomach ache because I had to work again on Monday. It made me very unhappy, I was completely exhausted. Even small things, like unloading the dishwasher at home, were too much for me. I could no longer enjoy beautiful things.

After her firing, DeYoung started what she always wanted: her own store. “Even though my self-confidence was shattered by that job, I dared to do it. I knew this for sure. It started with a web store, Plek Conceptstore in June 2020. “During the lockdown, I suddenly had a lot of time. There were no social things. So I thought: I’ve wanted this for a long time, let’s see if I really like it.

“Does anyone know this person?”

At first, only family members and friends were able to find the online store. “The first time I received a request from a stranger, I thought it was very special. I asked in the family app: ‘Does anyone know this person?’

The web store grew quickly. Plek Conceptstore has been popular on social media. “Our target group is there, so we’re focusing on that,” says De Jong. “It’s very personal on Instagram. I’m in the photo a lot. We get a lot of questions, also about products that aren’t from our store. ‘Where’s your blouse from?’

“I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.”

Popularity on Instagram also has a downside. “Sometimes I get messages: ‘I saw you walking in the supermarket’. I was recently contacted at Oerol on Terschelling. Then you feel like you are being watched. They know a lot about you. You are not aware of it until they point it out in the store. At the same time, this aspect “Personal is also what works and what I really like. People come into the store and say, ‘I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.’ Instagram does that.”

De Jong opened a store in Blokhuispoort, but the space soon became too small. “I couldn’t turn my back there. I wanted more. But I also tried to restrain myself, and keep taking baby steps.”

“They saw me coming”

DeYoung told everyone who came in that she was looking for a new property and started talking to real estate agents. “I found it difficult with real estate agents. I didn’t feel like I was being taken seriously. They saw me coming: a young, blonde girl. I could almost see them thinking: ‘This is another person who wants to start their own store.’ the next’. ”

But the question about it worked. “I got a call from the store that was here. House of Color. I thought: Are you kidding? We knew each other by name, but we didn’t have any connection. I think it’s great that entrepreneurs give each other that.”