If you’ve spent any time living in The Netherlands, you are familiar with the stores that carry the necessities of life, all of which are represented in the historic parts of Roermond: Albert Heijn, Jumbo, HEMA, Blokker, Kruidvat, Gall & Gall, Etos, Holland & Barrett, etc. In the historic center, you will also find the obligatory H&M, Intertoys, the phone shops (T-Moble, KPN) and all the customary clothing stores you would expect.
Due to the woonboulevard and huis&tuin boulevard and the retail park, bordering the town in various directions, there are also all the bigger brands and shops that one might hope to find: Praxis, MediaMarkt, Het Goed, Sijben, Action (the Action store is kind of by itself on the way to other places) over on the east. Finally, in the designer outlet mall to the north, there are ALL the fashion brands, as well as the only Starbucks locations I have seen here.
Apparently a lot of people come to Roermond on Sundays from Germany, where most of the shops are closed, and visit the Designer Outlet Mall (pictured above). And they spend the day there, getting on and off the highway, without ever crossing the street into the heart of the town. That seems a shame to me, since it is so charming, and also because I really do believe in supporting local businesses where possible. Roermond historic center has a number of adorable, unique little shops and boutiques, and it’s important to spend your money in those kinds of places. Otherwise the whole world becomes a shopping mall, and every community is filled with the same stores, and much of the profits leave the community and don’t benefit the people who live there. I know it’s rough when you are on a budget, but I am trying to seek out ways to shop locally where I can, and will spend more time in future posts focusing on resources unique to the town and region.
Stay tuned!
Image courtesy of mcarthurglen.com
Recherche Roermond 