THE FIRST CHAPTER
25 guilders of starting capital and his wife's jewelry to use as window display material: that's all 25-year-old Geraldus Brunott needed. At the time, the founder of our family business established his jewelry and clock store at number 37 on the Binnenweg; a building on the city's oldest shopping street. In no time he managed to seduce all Rotterdam residents with taste and an eye for quality with 'great choice, solidity and cheap prices'. Brunott built up a close circle of customers, and although things were not always rosy in the family, his store soon became one of the city's most popular businesses. Expansion was a logical consequence.
PARTY ON THE INNER ROAD
Due to the constantly increasing turnover of our products, we were forced to add premises No. 35. We hope with this we have fulfilled the demands of our large circle of customers both in and outside the city, as we are now able to offer our Benefactors in a pleasant and easy way an overwhelming choice of our various articles at the traditionally known low prices and solid finish.
Geraldus made no secret of the success of his "store of gold, silver, diamonds, watches, clocks and pendulums. He saw his opportunity to add the adjacent premises to his store and proudly announced the reopening in the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad. November 17, 1922, from about seven o'clock in the evening, the expansion was celebrated grandly.