by Emily Zaal
IMAGINE you’re taking a nice drive, about to go over Sagamore Bridge in Massachusetts, when suddenly you’re greeted by a towering windmill and a picturesque thatched roof.
It’s not your typical building you’d stumble upon in the United States. Intrigued, you decide to stop and explore. To your surprise, you discover that on March 1st, a European/Scandinavian style garden furniture store named TULP Outdoor Living opened its doors.
Eager to learn more about both the building and the store within, you navigate through the expansive structure, seeking someone who knows more. Eventually, you encounter Gabriel Kroeze, one of the owners.
He tells you how the historical building used to be owned by a store called Christmas Tree Shops, and how they, as a Dutch family, now own it. He also boasts about how back in 1986, the 24,000 square foot roof was once the biggest thatched roof… in the world!
About two weeks ago, the owners managed to get the windmill working again, infusing the building with their Dutch spirit and roots. “Barbara, my wife, was born next to the windmill in Laren, and her parents owned a supermarket on a street called the ‘Molenaar.’ It’s quite the coincidence that once again we’re under a straw roof and next to a windmill,” said Gabriel Kroeze, owner of TULP Outdoor Living.
Ten years ago Gabriel, his wife, and their four kids moved from ‘Het Gooi’ in the Netherlands to Plymouth, Massachusetts. “I always wanted to go to America,” said Gabriel, “I was an exchange student in Seattle after I finished high school in the Netherlands. It was always my dream to go back again.”
They’ve long been involved in the furniture industry, but it was only two years ago that they took the leap to create their own high-quality furniture line, giving rise to TULP. Their furniture is primarily crafted in Indonesia and Vietnam, specializing in wicker and aluminum designs.
Gabriel, alongside his wife and three out of four children, run TULP together. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also very fun,” said Gabriel, “It begins with a sketch, and when the end product is finally on the showroom floor… that’s just great.”
* Emily Zaal is a journalist in Wisconsin where she previously worked at WSAW NewsChannel 7. She received her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Groningen.
