HET BALLONNETJE AND THE PASSAGE OF TIME.

[petrone]

They used to be considered the sister shop to Rusland. From my most recent impressions of Rusland, you,d imagine that this can no longer be the case since the latter has moved from free and easy to restricted behaviour. A few years back, I witnessed a business couple give a politely considered warning to the tender in Rusland regarding his employment, presumably the owner and his wife. Their ages now would be around sixty.Are these the owners of Ballonnetje? If they are the original owners of the two shops,then they have been around a long time. I,m a curious cat. Which brings me to another point.......what happened to????? noteable correspondents like the knowledgeable Boner or the apparently local Marco or the omnipresent Chelsea Smokers Society, do they drift away like the smoke from the last joint. Just wondering, always wondering but grateful for the stability of Lemming and his steady guidance.

[gromit]

[Fat_old_dwarf]

They used to be considered the sister shop to Rusland. From my most recent impressions of Rusland, you,d imagine that this can no longer be the case since the latter has moved from free and easy to restricted behaviour. A few years back, I witnessed a business couple give a politely considered warning to the tender in Rusland regarding his employment, presumably the owner and his wife. Their ages now would be around sixty.Are these the owners of Ballonnetje? If they are the original owners of the two shops,then they have been around a long time. I,m a curious cat. Which brings me to another point.......what happened to????? noteable correspondents like the knowledgeable Boner or the apparently local Marco or the omnipresent Chelsea Smokers Society, do they drift away like the smoke from the last joint. Just wondering, always wondering but grateful for the stability of Lemming and his steady guidance.

I've wondered about that. Rusland was my first shop, for a long time my main one, but I've only looked in and walked out shaking my head since the last makeover. Doesn't appeal at all, and haven't even noticed whether the cat was there. Het Ballonetje by contrast is like Rusland used to be, a bit. Though without the cat.

I think Boner was an admin at the rather dodgy FB ACD page, but he seems to have given that up as well. I suppose quite a few people give up smoking in the course of time, and perhaps more give up talking about it. But who knows?

[Not_the_monk]

Afaik Rusland has been up for sale, on possibly more than one occasion, in relatively recent times, so at a complete guess I'd doubt there still is any association.