The story of The Bulldog starts in 1975, when Henk de Vries, who had started selling marijuana in 1970 at the Kralingen Music Festival, converted his father's sex shop in Amsterdam's red-light district into a coffeeshop, the first in the way we know nowadays. Henk asked ex-pat Australian artist Harold Thornton to paint some signage on the front of the 1st Bulldog Coffeeshop Nr. 90 but Harold turned this exercise into a mural that goes across the front of the whole shop. The mural helped the coffeeshop become a magnet for backpackers and tourists and its reputation grew. The company logo was inspired by Henk's dog at that time, a bulldog named Joris.
Through the years The Bulldog has become a versatile company and the brand has gained more depth. Besides the coffeeshops there are also two cafes, three souvenir shops and a hotel in Amsterdam. The Bulldog also expanded across the borders of Amsterdam with a hotel and vacation homes in Canada, social clubs in Barcelona and Ibiza, a bar-restaurant in the centre of Rome and on the tropical island of Aruba. On top of it all there are several product lines like merchandising, Iced Coffee, The Bulldog energy drink, smoker products and seeds.
Anyway, the most famous place remained in Amsterdam, in Leidseplein, is called The Bulldog Havri and is ironically located in an old Police station building. The atmosphere of the Police station has been recreated for a unique experience. In there, you will also find a bar (on the first floor) and a shop with lots of products dedicated to the brand. A collection of police and criminals artifacts can be viewed and passing some time in the jail cells is highly recommended after the services offered by the officer on duty (who is selling weed of course).
About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Dutch Icons, about which I wrote here.
References
The Bulldog - Wikipedia
The Bulldog Coffeeshop in Amsterdam - amsterdam.info
The Bulldog - Official website
Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Amsterdam (North Holland / Netherlands), on 30.01.2019
Photo: Iain Masterton
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