First the deadline moved. Then it moved again. Now the city of Den Helder has told coffeeshop Tops that the calendar isn't changing anymore. December 5 is its final day of operation on Koningstraat. From December 6, the shop can no longer trade there, even if its replacement premises aren't ready. After several extensions, that is quite a firm line to draw.
The delay wasn't caused by a shortage of cannabis. It was the furniture. A company that was supposed to make and install essential fittings, including the bar, pulled out. Another contractor had to be found. Unfinished street works added another complication. The municipality says the operator has submitted a workable schedule and the project is currently on track. The new location is near Koningsplein and Prins Hendriklaan.
Tops isn't the only shop packing up. Tsjakka must stop operating from Koningstraat by January 1, 2027. Its new premises received a permit on October 8. Both moves are part of Den Helder's wider plan to change the character of the street. There may still be plenty to do with drills and moving vans, but the city has made the closing dates unusually clear.
