Janine Guijt - Indebuurt Utrecht - 31 / Mar / 2018
The love affair of Ella (26) and Timo (24) started with a Tinder date. A year and a half later, the couple has a shop together in the Schoutenstraat. "It's so cool that we make memories together."
Well, the story of Ella and Timo starts in a place where many (love) adventures in 2018 start: Tinder. “But we have a lot of mutual friends, so we keep to ourselves that we would otherwise have met,” Ella laughs. After the 'likes' and a short chat conversation, the first date soon followed. “It was in 't Oude Pothuys, but we actually did a kind of pub crawl, because we also visited four other pubs”, Timo remembers. Ella adds: “It was very nice and relaxed. I remember when the first topic we talked about was Game of Thrones and that immediately broke the ice.”
'The idea for a shop came about in one evening and has not left us since'
Long story short: after the pub crawl, many more dates followed and Timo and Ella have now been together for a year and a half and they therefore have a real concept store together in the Schoutenstraat. Ella: “We both had a creative education, but we didn't want to be an artist. And we really wanted to do something together. We saw it all in front of us: getting up at the same time, drinking coffee and then going to work together. The freedom of being your own boss suits us very well.” Timo: “The idea for a store actually came about in one evening and has not left us since. After that we really went for it. Via-via we came across this building quite by accident.”
Text continues below the photo.
The fact that the couple started making plans to open a store together after a few months sometimes resulted in surprised reactions. “Friends said: would you do that, a shop together? You're practically married!” Ella remembers. Timo adds: “And when we started talking to landlords, we were afraid of all kinds of exciting questions about financial risks. Instead, they asked if our relationship would survive this. But we never doubted that for a moment.” Ella: “Look, it's not naivete that we're doing this. And it's not like we're such a clingy couple who necessarily want to be together all day. We also match very well on a creative and business level.”
Whether Ella and Timo keep business and private a bit separate? “Not really, but that works well. In the workplace we treat each other with the same values and the same respect as at home,” says Timo. Ella: “In the beginning, just before the store opened, it was very hectic, but then we deliberately paid close attention to each other. Then we said to each other at home: okay, we'll just do this and that and then it's really done for today. But nowadays everything is mixed up.”
Timo: “What I love about working with Ella is that we make memories together. Instead of telling each other what we went through at work at the end of the day, we were part of it together. And sometimes I suddenly realize: 'wow, we just have a store together!' That's so cool!"
Text continues below the photo.
Well, the love for each other is clearly good between Ella and Timo. And the butterflies for 030, the city where the love affair began, are still there. “We love Utrecht, it really feels like our city,” says Ella. Timo: “And it's really cool to be part of the cityscape with a shop. Together we actively contribute to a nicer city. That feels good!"
