Cor was sweeping the pavement when Leo passed by. “Good morning” Leo said, “are you the new owner?” The now clean pavement was in front of a pub. “Yes” said Cor, “I’m the new owner and we’re opening tomorrow. If you feel like dropping by, you’re more than welcome. The party starts at 8 p.m.”
Leo walked home and told his girlfriend Betty: “You know the Grolsch café on the Ceintuurbaan, that has been closed for such a long time? It’s opening tomorrow. I spoke to the new owner, quite a young lad, and inside I saw the shadow of a young woman, more of a girl actually. We’re invited for the opening.” “We’ll see” answered Betty.
Friday, April 17th,1981 Cor-rupt opened its doors. An average pub in a typical Amsterdam neighbourhood, with only one difference, if you can even call it that. We, (Cor and I, Jet,) were determined to prove that we could earn a living in the ‘hospitality industry’ without being too commercial. Or, in other words, if people felt welcome, prices were kept reasonable and there would be a lot of fun, then enough people would enjoy the bar to guarantee an income. Our main goal was to have fun and a good time together! Money would follow.
Naïve? Perhaps but it was also the spirit of that time. We were raised in the 60’s and 70’s and full of idealism. Of course, the economy was difficult in the early 80’s. I have to admit that another reason for opening the pub was the fact that we couldn’t find half decent jobs at the time. But we were also convinced that things should and indeed could change. Roll up your sleeves, have a good laugh, do crazy things and above all, help one another!
With this approach it meant that the pub belonged to everybody, the ambassador to the greengrocer, the student and the musician, the police constable and the vicar, Cor-rupt welcomed local residents and journalists alike. Regulars included Romanian, Moroccan, Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, German, Australian, New Zealanders, American and Finnish, from all political persuasions. That’s how it was in these days!
An ordinary Amsterdam café in the early 80’s.