The project of De Makelarij came about when 3 partners had the idea of converting the gateway building of the former Ambiorix barracks in Tongeren into a coordination centre that facilitates circular entrepreneurship in the city.
The building, renovated with reusable waste material, now forms an incubator spot where starters with creative making talent and sustainable concepts get the chance to rent affordable space to accommodate a studio, shop or showroom. The activities of these start-ups revolve around circularity (circular raw materials, repair workshop, second-hand ...) or incorporate a principle of sharing economy. The initiatives that are running well and move to grow further make room for new entrepreneurs.
Together under one roof, they can engage in circular entrepreneurship: the residues of one can serve as raw materials for another.
Or the creations of one can serve as a saleable product for the other. At the same time, De Makelarij is also a place where circular entrepreneurs can join forces to conduct better marketing that appeals to other consumer groups and inspires them to buy more circularly. And so we complete our circle.
Coin Perdu
Partners Maarten Guillaume, Créage vzw
Sectors
Themes
Organisations
We are pleased to have had the opportunity to set up this project and to have created the first circular hub. It has strengthened our approach and ideas, and we are eager to enter the next phases of this project with determination.
By continuing with the same momentum, we will be able to attract new partners and inspire new entrepreneurs. It will be necessary to expand our coordination centre with additional staff. We can also start new coordination centres in other places. Making this financially possible will be a challenge for the future.
We also want to use the coordination centre to approach consumers even more and to raise their awareness. This will require a renewed communication strategy.