4x Faces of the Hallenweg

The Hallenweg is a creative breeding ground in the form of a street, where houses, garages, and industrial premises are now hidden studios. A relatively undiscovered piece of Eindhoven but as interesting as can be. From photographer to designer and bicycle courier to cigar band maker: you will find all sorts of professions here.  

The Hallenweg came into being after the Second World War as an economic recovery project. In the early years it was mainly metal and welding companies that moved here. The buildings were constructed in the style of the ‘Delftse School’ and are hidden behind the Hoogstraat.

John van Tintelen - cigar bands

Probably the coolest business cards are handed to us at Van Tintelen Printing Art. Exclusive printing turns out to be their speciality. When the shutters pull up in front of us, a production hall looms up full of equipment. From ultramodern to very old machines. In addition to stickers, labels and packaging, Van Tintelen produces luxury cigar bands. The traditional machines are used for punching, bronzing and embossing. The latter provides the relief on the bands. Once Eindhoven was a city of cigar producers itself, but over the years the market moved further away. John van Tintelen, who took over his father's business and now runs it together with his brother and four other colleagues, says that most of his customers are in Latin America. "Our main country is the Dominican Republic, not Cuba as you might think."

Sam Walravens - photographer

John van Tintelen's neighbour is Sam Walravens, who runs a photography studio together with his dog Belle. "Actually I mainly work at client’s locations, but I just love this workspace on the Hallenweg. I know most people well. Together with my former neighbour, designer Jeroen Wand, I made the wooden table we're sitting at right now. I do a lot of culinary photography, but also portraits and artistic projects.”

Tour de Ville - bicycle couriers

When we visit Tour de Ville late in the afternoon, rush hour is on. This sustainable transport company employs over 65 bike couriers and many of them have just flown in with letters and parcels they pick up at the end of the day at companies in and around Eindhoven. Manager Harm van der Sanden: "We transport all kinds of goods all day with our freight bikes. In addition to mail and parcels, we deliver products from local webshops, such as the coffee beans of BeanBrothers, but also medicines, clothing, magazines and even lunches.”

King Kongs - interior designers

“This factory hall is just beautiful”, is what the designers of the international hospitality design agency King Kongs tell us too. “However, it's getting a bit small.” Over the years they designed the interiors for Mood and Valenzia in Eindhoven, but also executed projects in Antwerp, Madrid and Abu Dhabi. "To create more space in our own office, we recently added an extra level here. We found the spiral staircase on Marktplaats, it fits perfectly."