A frosty morning wind blows through my hair. The tiny slit of bright and warm sunlight brings some relief. Across the street, a very unreal sight catches my eye...
Under an old red brick building, there stands a records shop. A poster of John Lennon at the bottom of the door as if to say that this store is all about the classics. In typical Amsterdam fashion a bicycle chained to the lampost obscures the view. A pile of plastic crates wait outside the store with a giant "SALE" notice on it. A beautiful lady with the brightest neon green hat I've seen and large golden hoop earrings took her time going through the records on sale.
The passing train came with an epiphany- niches. On one side of the street was a records shop, and on the opposite stood a bamboo furniture shop. A jazz cafe that was underground, and a chandeliers store above it. Clearly these weren't everybody's cup of tea, but something for everyone, nonetheless.
A little further from the records shop, an old (almost in shambles) shop caught my eye. At first it was the black and white posters, but then I became curious about BETTY, THE BOOK MAKING MACHINE. I have personally never seen how a book is made, so I was naturally curious. The team also spoke many languages and anything multilingual is always cool to me.
The store where the banner stands is closed. You'll have to walk to the end of the street and there, at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal Centrum, you'll find the ABC. Betty stands at the top floor if the American Book Center.
From the outside, the ABC isn't that much of a looker. But the inside...what a getaway at the center of everything.
The ABC is designed much like a tree house. With aged wood all around and shelves that reach very high. A lot of the wooden flooring is left untouched, possibly to enchance the treehouse feel. A literal tree bark goes all the way up to the second floor. There are plenty of books, duh, but there are also tshirts, toys, action figures, cards and bags you can take along.
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There are a lot of books, three floors of books to be exact. A cool concept in the ABC are the compartmentalization of the floors. Much like a tree house, the floors are separated and there are two different staircases. One goes around the inner perimeter of the store and the second staircase goes in between the floors.
Throughout the book store there are titbits scattered around representing the genre. For example, the crime section has a chalk outline made with tape next to the shelves. The game card section had a large paper dragon erected next to it. I loved the contrast of Radio Silence with the vintage, and probably loud, typewriter.
Cafe on the second floor.
Now, Betty my dear.
I expected an older style book making machine. Why? Possibly because of the first impression from the storefront where I originally saw the ad. Or maybe because everything here was so woody and vintage styled. But I stand corrected.
There is a showcase by Betty. A few examples of her work are presented in this glass showcase and descriptions of the types of books that can be made with Betty. The books presented in this showcase are available for purchase in the ABC along with a few others that aren't showcased.
Betty herself isn't as elaborate and huge as I had originally expected. It takes a few minutes to an hour to make a whole book cover to cover depending on the size of the book. I asked if it was possible to do at least one edition by myself but I was told only the staff is allowed to print. I could, however, watch my book get made start to finish if I liked.
The rates also vary depending on the size of the books, type of paper, cover, content style, and number of copies. I lingered around looking through books and hoped someone would come around to have their book made, but it did not happen. I have nothing to print but I can see what a unique experience it could be for someone to have their ideas turned into a book right in front of them.
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