Do you know those corners in stores filled with flyers and booklets nobody ever notices? Or the pile of leaflets next to the cash register? Since I started coolhunting, I also started to pay attention to these kind of things. Things you normally wouldn't notice. During my visit at Cacao I discovered such a pile of leaflets. One of them was a tiny little shopping guide called PUHA.  



PUHA is a shopping guide that shows a whole other side of Utrecht, filled with art, design, music, vintage, food and drinks. It's designed as a little booklet you can unfold and turn into one large map. The shops are categorized by symbols. It focuses on authenticity, home made products, unique designs and everything that has that 'special something'.

The thing I love about this guide is that it gives you a whole new perspective at the city. It takes you to places you've never been before and it shows you things you didn't even know existed. It takes you out of the central shopping area and changes your shopping experience.
You can find this little special guide at all participating places. Planning a city trip to Utrecht? You can also download a digital version at their website. Not much of a map-reader? There is also a PUHA app, which can check the nearest spot on the list and lead you to it.





What do you know! Blackbird and Alchemie are also on the PUHA list. I guess this proves they are definitely 'experience economy' qualified! ;)

For me, this isn't exactly a new book. I'm already filling in 'year two'. Although not new, it's a perfect example for experience economy: the book makes you reflect on your life and it makes you really selfconscious. It's really fun to see how your opinion can change on something in just a year time. It's also a nice way to keep small memories.

At this time in my life, when my future is so unpredictable and wide open, I'm curios about what my answers will be to the same questions in a few years! How about you, Would you like to have this book?

I have to make a confession: I think I want to move to Utrecht. Discovery after discovery and coolhunt after coolhunt. Utrecht has so many to offer! Today I want to tell you about a place called 'Alchemie'. 

Alchemie is a place where everything is possible. It's a place for your cup of coffee after a hard days work, but it's also a place to shop for art, buy vintage furniture and clothing, have a healthy lunch or take yoga lessons. You name it! Don't want to spend money? There is also a possibility for trading clothes. That works exactly as you think it would: bring something of your own, and trade it for a new piece of clothing you like. It's all about going back to basics and embracing authenticity. 

Alchemie is also a platform for young artists. If you want to shop for art, this is the right place no matter what your budget is. Musicians, designers and craftsmen get a chance to take the stage at Alchemie. There's a place for everyone! To top it all off there's a food corner called Ramanas. It's founded by two guys who want to make vegetarian food a little bit more exciting. 



Alchemie is such an unique concept, it's a thousands things in one place. It's not merely a store: it invites you to participate and thereby a whole new 'shopping' experience arises. Can't wait to visit? Check out their Facebook for the address and information about their events. 

Pictures by Lion van den Brand for Alchemie

photo by Brandon Mitchell - source

I've always wanted to go to the airport and book the first destination available. But what if I can't find a hotel when I arrive or what if it's somewhere I can't speak the language? And what about vaccinations? Clearly I'm not badass enough to take such a leap of faith. 

Let me introduce you to something that changed my mind about this (and probably will change yours as well, trust me!) sprs.me is a travel organisation based in Amsterdam that takes care or your holiday. Nothing new you would say, isn't that what a travel agency is supposed to do? But there's more: the destination of your travels will remain secret until you are at the airport. A few days before your holiday you'll get a card including a code, the temperature of your secret destination and the time of departure at the airport. Once arrived at the airport you enter the secret code in your sprs account and your destination will be revealed! 




No more over the top planning, no more trip advisor syndrome and no stressy decisions! You just need to pack your bags and let sprs.me take care of the rest. You can choose for an adventure trip 6-8 days, or maybe a city trip 3-4 days. Traveling on a budget? Choose for the option 'Broke' 3-4 days. Other options are a sunsation, manly or girls only trip. There's an option for every kind of traveler. This is definitely my kind of travel agency, where it's all about experiencing unexpected adventures. It's time to get out of you comfort-zone to create memories you'll never forget. Embrace adventure and enjoy the surprise!

The next chapter of my school year is all about "experience economy". As an experiment I went looking for my own experience in Utrecht. Based on the experience model of 'van Gool en Wijngaarden' I'm going to analyse my experience.During my adventure in Utrecht I ended up in a cute little coffeeshop called Blackbird. Blackbird is located in 'de Oudegracht' and looks like a tiny coffeeshop from the outside. Although small, it immediatly caught our attention when we passed it. The sign in front of the store read "coffee, slow juice and vintage", which sounds like a perfect combination to me!


The interior of the coffeeshop is unique and has a little story attached to it: Almost everything you see is for sale! But the real eye-catchers are the bikes hanging on the wall. One of the owners, Edwin, has a passion for bikes. The idea is simpel: he fixes old bikes and they sell them at the store! Together with his wife Willemijn, who has a passion for vintage, they created this unique little place. It is clear this is a business started from emotional value, but connected to economic value. Keywords to the concept are craftsmanship, authenticity and hospitality. It's a great example of the living-room society. Before I went inside I didn’t had any expectations because I simply didn’t knew the place. It seemed like a relaxed coffeeshop, perfect for a shopping break with friends or a quiet place for reading a book. My experience started with a soft couch. There is laid-back music playing in the background: not to loud, not to quiet. I order a glass of elderflower syrup, which only costs 1 euro (!) There are people around me doing different things. There’s a girl reading a book, a guy working on his laptop and two ladies eating cake and laughing about a joke. On the back of the menucard there’s an old article from 1967 about Sparta bikes, how cool is that? I smell the fresh coffee and it makes me want to order a cup (I don’t even like coffee!). While I’m drinking my syrup there is a guy buying a bike. Sounds of bike-fixing-tools and coffee-making-tools intertwine.  The staff is very nice and enthusiastic and make me feel welcome. When we ask to the story behind Blackbird, they are happily to tell us everything.