Parknest “The living room of Amsterdam Oost” How an empty building in Flevopark became a squatted cafe
If you frequent Flevopark often, by now you must have noticed a recently-opened café next to the park’s entrance. In a cosy building with a terrace and a playground, parents enjoy a coffee, tea or apple cake, while their children play. Other common sights are dog owners stopping for a drink while on a walk, or the residents of Flevohuis, a center for people with dementia, engaging in cheery conversations over a board game. Welcome to Parknest — a donation-based, volunteer-run cafe that overnight became one of the main community centers in Indische Buurt.
But this wasn’t the case always: until only recently, the building had been shut down for almost five years. So, how did the building turn into what it is now? To investigate this matter, I am meeting Dirk, a 60-year-old entrepreneur who is one of the founders of Parknest. He tells me that everything started in September 2023, when he met a friend at Bar Joost. The friend lamented to Dirk about a building in Flevopark that was not used. Previously called Flevor, the establishment scared people off with shabby graffiti that didn’t match the welcoming presence of the public playground: “desolate may be the right word,” Dirk says. Even if the building opened once in a while, people complained about overpriced drinks and the charge to use the bathroom.
So, Dirk decided to do a ‘ludic’. Established by the culture historian Johan Huizinga to revive post-war Dutch culture, ludic actions became famous during the 1960’s Provo movement. Dirk describes ludic as “an action that has a little bit of a funny effect”. On the night of October 27, 2023, Dirk and two other friends came to Flevopark and squatted the closed building. Kim, an experienced squatter and a volunteer at Parknest, remembers how she got a phone call late that night and left her bed at 10:30 pm to come and help her three friends: “I was like, okay guys, so what’s the plan, what are we going to do? — and this is how it started”. Following the squatting operation, Dirk went to the Oost Municipality and explained his vision for the place. He learned that the building was privately owned, however, the owner had been heavily fined for opening the place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a place “to serve beers while everything else was closed.” The municipality took away the license from the owner, who then “just threw away everything and left,” Dirk explains. Since the municipality liked Dirk’s idea of creating an alternative, donation-based cafe, they let him do whatever he wanted while they set about acquiring the property.
Richard, the other founder of Parknest, adds that the aim is to create an alternative to Amsterdam’s mainstream cafes, where coffee is increasingly expensive.
Ever since, the idea behind Parknest has kept expanding, with the main principle that the place is run “by the neighborhood, for the neighborhood.” Parknest is open six days a week, from 12:00 till 18:00, excluding Tuesdays. Richard, the other founder of Parknest, adds that the aim is to create an alternative to Amsterdam’s mainstream cafes, where coffee is increasingly expensive. Dirk mentions that as of now, they have nearly 30 volunteers: “a very wide, mixed group of people, also politically mixed,” which makes them try “to keep the politics out of this building.” As Parknest operates by donation, volunteers receive no payment. Rather, the money earned is used to improve the space and cover the necessities: “We spend money on the things we need inside, we pay for the electricity and water. We bought a dishwasher, paint for the walls, and now we need some money for electric doors,” Richard calculates. With the money, the volunteers are also paid for the ingredients they use to make soups or cakes that are later sold in the cafe.
With the increase of volunteers, new events began to take place in Parknest. For example, Minke, an Oost resident, had an idea to make a “doggy restaurant” out of the building when it was still closed. However, she did not receive a permit from the municipality. Nevertheless, while walking her own dogs in Flevopark, she spotted Dirk, who was opening the cafe. This ended with a collaboration, where once a month Parknest transforms into a restaurant that caters a three course meal for dogs and their owners. Another volunteer, Rosie, creates events catered specifically for children and the residents of Flevohuis every Wednesday afternoon. She organizes game activities, such as rummikub or card games, or teaches people how to make syrups using elderflower foraged from the park. She believes that Parknest strengthens the bond amongst the Oost community and forges new relationships. For example, she reminisces about a situation that took place during the clothing swap she organized: “There was one woman who couldn’t find her way to Flevohuis anymore, and a man with a baby said that he will bring her home.”
Another weekly activity is a “Bring Your Own Vinyl” event, where people can bring and share their favorite records. Manon, who volunteers as a DJ, tells me that she found out about this place because of walking her dog in the park: “I liked the atmosphere and decided to stay and come often.” At the first event, she was the only one to bring a bag of vinyls to play and volunteered to assist with DJ-ing. Towards the end, she was asked if she would like to do this once a week. Ever since, she DJ-s every Friday, mostly “music from the 80s, ska, reggae, pop, some sub-rock.” When asked what she thinks of the place, Manon says without hesitation: “Well, I think it is the living room of Amsterdam Oost!” The sentiment is shared by another volunteer, Suzy: “It’s so relaxing and it’s suitable for every age and for all kinds of people, it’s very open. I felt welcome from the start.”
The customers seem to agree. Vincent, who is drinking beer while his kids play, says that it is the second time he came here. The first time, he was with his children in the playground and upon hearing a live band and smelling good food, coming here became “an easy choice.” Another client, Sacha, visits at least once a week with her granddaughter. When asked about Parknest, she says that it’s a good thing for the community, because “it’s a little bit alternative” and affordable: “everywhere you go in Amsterdam, you have to buy something for at least 4 euros, but here, if you don’t have that money, you can still come.”
Everywhere you go in Amsterdam, you have to buy something for at least 4 euros, but here, if you don’t have that money, you can still come
For Susie, who often cooks in Parknest, the cafe seems like a friend club: the people who volunteer here “forgot that they had another life before, which says something about the energy here.” To Cato, who describes herself as a semi-volunteer, Parknest became an anchor for the upcoming summer, as she can come here and have a great time, without having to travel abroad. Having lived in Oost already for 20 years, she thinks the need for community is becoming greater: “Sometimes, I’m like, what will I do alone, sitting on my computer, trying to make a career or whatever? But when I’m here I think, oh, you can just enjoy and do more things together.” During the summer, she plans to host jam sessions in the cafe, as she herself plays accordion.
When asked for the future plans regarding the cafe, Dirk says that they don’t have too many ambitions, as they “want to remain the way we are.” They don’t want to become a famous venue: “Running with volunteers and not horeca-minded people means that not everything goes fast and perfect.” That’s why he is afraid that if people from other neighborhoods find out about the place, it could get too busy and “if you’re a volunteer and people are complaining, you don’t want to be a volunteer anymore.” Still, Richard remarks that sometimes on rainy days they only earn 25 euros in cash: “Come here and drink your coffee! That’s what helps us fight.”
More info about Parknest
www.parknest.nl