Nijdam

Nijdam is a Dutch brand of ice skates and inline skates with a history that reaches back to 1896, when Hotse Nijdam began making wooden skate parts as a carpenter in IJlst, Friesland. Over the following decades the Nijdam family established several skate workshops in Friesland, and the name became associated with traditional Frisian wooden skates. Today the brand is owned by Schreuders Sport International, a sports-goods wholesaler based in Leerdam, and it positions itself primarily toward recreational skaters and ice skaters rather than elite speed-skating competitors. The current product range, as presented on the official Nijdam website, includes inline skates in hardboot and semi-softboot constructions, adjustable-size models, roller skates, skateboards, stunt scooters, and combination sets that pair inline skates with traditional 'noren' ice skates. Examples include the Floral Switch 3-in-1 inline skate, the Blue Blaze Combo inline skate and noren set, the Panther Poise semi-softboot inline skate, the Blue Goo hardboot inline skate, the Candy Cakes nubuck roller skate, and the Geo Metricker hardboot roller skate. Prices shown on the site are in euros and generally fall in the range of roughly €35 to €105, reflecting the brand's accessible, family-oriented positioning. Nijdam's identity is closely tied to its Frisian heritage. The brand's own history page traces the family's skate-making activity through several generations, from Hotse Nijdam's carpentry and skate-part production in the late nineteenth century, through the establishment of separate workshops by his sons Jan and Gerrit in the 1930s, to the later consolidation of the brand. In 1996 the brand came into the hands of Schreuders Sport International in Leerdam, which continues to market Nijdam skates and inline skates. The brand competes in the recreational skating segment in the Netherlands and neighboring markets, where ice skating has deep cultural roots and where inline skating serves as a warm-weather alternative. Nijdam's product naming and colorful designs target children, families, and casual adult skaters. The official website operates in Dutch and English and functions as a direct-to-consumer webshop as well as a brand showcase.

The history of Nijdam begins in 1896, when Hotse Nijdam started working as a self-employed carpenter in IJlst, Friesland, producing wooden skate parts for Jan Jarig Nooitgedagt. At that time it was common for carpenters and blacksmiths to make skates as a supplementary source of income. In 1918 Hotse moved to Akkrum, Friesland, where he found suitable premises for his carpentry business. Alongside carpentry, he continued to manufacture skates, and over time this activity became so time-consuming that he no longer referred to himself as a carpenter but as a skate manufacturer. In 1925 Hotse's third son, Jan, also moved to Akkrum. He registered as a clog maker, but from the very beginning he was already engaged in making wooden skate parts. In 1934 Jan founded his own skate factory, so that Akkrum then had two Nijdam skate workshops: one run by father Hotse and one by his son Jan. In 1935 Hotse's eldest son, Gerrit, became the second son to establish his own business, setting up a skate factory or workshop in Oranjewoud. In the early years, when severe winters created enormous demand for his skates, Gerrit and his daughter would skate to the supplier and return with bundles of skate blades carried on their backs. Around 1940 more than thirty people were employed at Gerrit's factory, and sometimes over a thousand pairs of skates were produced per day. Gerrit Nijdam advertised them as 'Friesland's finest and lightest skate.' The brand's own history page continues beyond 1940, but the available excerpt ends there. What is documented is that the Nijdam name became established as a Frisian skate-making brand through several family workshops. The Dutch Wikipedia entry on Nijdam (schaatsen) summarizes the brand as one of originally Dutch skate and ice-skate brands, aimed particularly at recreational skaters and ice skaters, with a relatively long history that began more than a hundred years ago in Akkrum, Friesland, when Hotse Nijdam started making skates at the end of the nineteenth century. At that time skate-making was genuine craft work involving various artisans. After various wanderings over the years, the brand came into the hands of Schreuders Sport International in Leerdam in 1996. Schreuders Sport International is a wholesaler in sports articles. Under this ownership the brand has continued to be marketed, with a product range that now emphasizes inline skates, roller skates, skateboards, stunt scooters, and combination sets alongside traditional ice skates. The official website presents the brand with the tagline 'Skating starts here' and the claim of 'Skating experience since 1896,' linking the modern product line to the long Frisian craft heritage.

• 1996

  The Nijdam brand comes into the hands of Schreuders Sport International in Leerdam, a wholesaler in sports articles.

• 1940

  Around 1940, more than thirty people are employed at Gerrit's factory, with sometimes over a thousand pairs of skates produced per day.

• 1935

  Gerrit Nijdam, eldest son of Hotse, sets up his own skate factory/workshop in Oranjewoud.

• 1934

  Jan Nijdam founds his own skate factory in Akkrum.

• 1925

  Jan Nijdam, third son of Hotse, moves to Akkrum and registers as a clog maker while making wooden skate parts.

• 1918

  Hotse Nijdam moves to Akkrum, Friesland, finding premises for his carpentry business and continuing skate manufacturing.

• 1896

  Hotse Nijdam begins working as a self-employed carpenter in IJlst, Friesland, producing wooden skate parts for Jan Jarig Nooitgedagt.

Recreational, family-oriented skate and ice-skate brand with Frisian heritage.

• Floral Switch Inline Skate 3-in-1

  Hardboot inline skate, adjustable size, product number N22AA01, €54.99.

• Blue Smoke Stuntstep

  Stunt scooter, product number N42CA03, €74.99.

• FinsSkateme Skateboard

  Skateboard, product number N31BA02, €34.99.

• Blue Blaze Combo Inline Skate & Noren Schaats

  Semi-softboot inline skate and noren ice skate combo, adjustable size, product number N14AC03, €104.99.

• Panther Poise Inline Skate

  Semi-softboot inline skate, adjustable size, product number N20AB06, €64.99.

• Blue Goo Inline Skate

  Hardboot inline skate, adjustable size, product number N20AA09, €46.99.

• Candy Cakes Rolschaats

  Roller skate with nubuck shoe, product number N21AF02, €79.99.

• Geo Metricker Rolschaats

  Hardboot roller skate, adjustable size, product number N21AA01, €49.99.

1. 1Nijdam Official | Alles voor skating & schaatsennijdam.com
2. 2Historynijdam.com
3. 3Nijdam (schaatsen) - Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org
4. 4Nijdam - Wikidatawikidata.org