hub.brussels News These brands born with OpenSoon’s help: batch 2023
These brands born with OpenSoon's help: batch 2023

These brands born with OpenSoon's help: batch 2023

Opening a business is not without risks. It requires strong shoulders and substantial equity to stay afloat despite the storms that may occur. In 2010, to help budding traders stay the course, the Region launched the OpenSoon grant, which offers sustainable, innovative and high-quality coaching and financial support of up to 20,000 euros. 

The Brussels-Capital Region has more than 20,000 shops on its territory. Behind this number lie at least as many unique and moving personal stories, punctuated by downfalls and successes, falls and rebounds, huge doubts and great certainties. In this blog, we will tell you about some of them for the year 2023.

Open

Batch – Ixelles 

Batch is a friendly, contemporary venue that opened in September 2023, where customers can enjoy excellent products throughout the day. Speciality coffees, a wide range of drinks and sweet and savoury snacks are available from early morning. In the evenings, the bar offers top-of-the-range drinks and a selection of sharing dishes. The menu changes regularly to offer new discoveries, with an emphasis on seasonal produce, original recipes and rare artisanal products.

📍557-559, Chaussée de Waterloo, 1050 Ixelles. 

Eli’s cookies – Brussels 

Eli is a young artisan chocolatier and confectioner who specialised in making cookies during Covid-19. He has been successfully selling his cookies on Brussels markets for two years now. During the summer, he set up shop in Bailli, which is ideally suited to the production and takeaway sale of his cookies.

📍18, rue du Bailli, 1000 Bruxelles 

Opifex – Ixelles (Châtelain) 

Jérôme’s scanning and digital printing studio has grown steadily since it opened 12 years ago. Jérôme then established strong relationships with the best customers and is now ready to take the next step, namely expanding his studio and opening a space for exhibiting and selling signed and numbered art prints. His aim is to become a destination of choice for local art lovers.

📍59, Rue du Page, 1050 Ixelles 

Chez Luma – Uccle 

Chez Luma aims to revive the concept of the restaurant as a simple place to eat, where you feel confident in the knowledge that you will find good food lovingly prepared by a passionate chef. It is a perfect blend of quality and simplicity, a warm, pleasant place created by two childhood friends. It also focuses on ethical and responsible consumption, using seasonal, local products and avoiding waste as much as possible. For lovers, families and friends.

📍17, Rue de la Fauvette, 1080 Uccle 

Pause Natural Beauty Store – Uccle  

In opening her organic and natural cosmetics shop, Pauline wanted to create a warm, friendly space where her customers could take a break, treat themselves and find healthy, effective and environmentally friendly products at a reasonable price. The brands distributed (mainly Belgian and French) have been chosen according to a very precise selection charter. She wants to support her customers, whatever their stage of reflection.

📍11, Parvis Saint-Pierre, 1080 Uccle 

Maguie – Saint-Gilles 

Marlène and Guillaume have opened a natural wine bar and small dining cellar, renovated with an emphasis on re-use. They offer bulk wine served on draught in returnable bottles and give customers the option of bringing their own containers. The wines are carefully selected, mainly directly from the growers, and all vinified as close to nature as possible using organic grapes, with no synthetic chemicals or oenological inputs. The “local snack” menu combines products from the Normandy region with those from Belgium, Brussels and Brabant.

📍86, Rue Hôtel des Monnaies, 1060 Saint-Gilles 

Swookies – Saint-Gilles 

Swookies is the brainchild of Margaux, a young woman from Brussels who wanted to bring the world of cookies to the Belgian capital. At Swookies, the “classic” chocolate chip cookie is transformed into a thousand and one different cookie textures, including chewy, gooey or crispy. Swookies lets you discover your perfect cookie. Raw materials are selected from Belgian and organic suppliers. Swookies are handmade, prepared and baked every morning in the boutique workshop. They can be taken away or eaten on site. Some are also delivered to other companies, restaurants and hotels. Everything is done with passion and love.

📍15, Rue Dejoncker, 1060 Saint-Gilles 

Papier Beurre – Bruxelles (Madou) 

Papier Beurre is a coffee house/sandwich shop/lunch venue that works with seasonal, quality products, cooked and selected with local suppliers using a responsible and sustainable approach. Several types of homemade pastries are available, and there is a small delicatessen offering a range of homemade dishes and a selection of natural wines and craft beers. Open from 7.30am to 5pm Monday to Wednesday, and 7.30am to 7pm Thursday and Friday, Papier Beurre caters to a gourmet clientele of office workers and local residents. The true value of Papier Beurre is based on the three principles of quality products, a menu that varies with the seasons, and a warm welcome.

📍1, Place Surlet de Chokier, 1000 Brussels

Reliek – Bruxelles 

Reliek was born of a dream that Nicolas had denied himself for too long. After studying marketing and finance, he left France to work in Brussels. After a ten-year career with international groups, he needed to find some meaning in his job. He had been passionate about antique furniture and decorative objects since childhood; he trained as an antique dealer for two years at EFP, received support from JobYourself and opened his store on 12 June 2021. He was self-employed from October 2022 and was finally able to present Reliek to OpenSoon. This is a boutique full of antiques, vintage decor and beautiful bric-a-brac in the heart of the Notre-dame-des-Neiges district.

📍26, Rue de l’Enseignement, 1000 Brussels

Papier – Etterbeek 

Papier, a new venue designed by Julie De Smedt and dedicated to the wonderful world of stationery, has opened its doors a stone’s throw from the Parc du Cinquantenaire. Julie sells sophisticated, sustainable, high-quality stationery from Europe and Japan and invites shoppers to discover her delicate, ethereal creations, which tell lovely personalised stories on invitations, greeting cards, websites and other media. Lastly, since September, Papier offers craft workshops for adults and children linked to the world of paper.  

📍7, Avenue de la Chevalerie, 1040 Etterbeek  

Afro Bowl – Ganshoren 

Afro Bowl is an African street food establishment offering homemade dishes. As the name suggests, dishes from various African countries are served in bowls; this is a practical format for either eating in or taking away. Cleanliness, speed and flavour are the watchwords of the establishment founded in February 2023 by Vanessa, Junior, Deroy and Gadu!

📍43, Avenue Charles-Quint, 1082 Ganshoren 

Brin d’Acier – Schaerbeek (Josaphat) 

Sophie Baudry, Laurence Pham and Nathalie Dekeyser – three Brussels women with complementary skills – have set up an independent general bookshop in Schaerbeek, a municipality full of multicultural diversity but currently lacking in such facilities. The bookshop is a cooperative located in the Josaphat/Louis Bertrand district. Brin d’Acier was conceived as a place where books and ideas could be exchanged, a place for meetings and workshops open to all.

📍269, Rue Josaphat, 1030 Schaerbeek 

Bab’s Wine Bar – Schaerbeek (Chazal) 

In September 2023, Barbara opened Bab’s, a local wine bar that aims to be welcoming, warm and dynamic, while offering precise, well honed advice. The sommelier stresses the sustainable, local and sourced nature of the products, with a small plate menu featuring Brussels producers and a wine list that promotes independent winemakers and small artisans.

📍200, Avenue Chazal, 1030 Schaerbeek 

Jansens & Jansens – Bruxelles (Midi) 

By taking over the local bistro “Bij/Chez Jansens & Jansens” in April 2023, France has given a new lease of life to a place whose decor evokes the Brussels of yesteryear. Located on the border between the Marolles and Midi districts, Jansens & Jansens caters to a wide range of tastes; it offers a simple, authentic atmosphere, sustainable cuisine that follows the seasons and origins of the produce, a warm, sociable ambience and a festive, caring space.

📍90, Boulevard du midi, 1000 Brussels 

Le Chapeau Blanc – Anderlecht 

Founded in 1890, Chapeau Blanc is one of Anderlecht’s iconic breweries. People have been coming here for a drink or a good meal for over 100 years. The institution had to close down following a bankruptcy and was replaced by a supermarket. A group of 16 friends (12 of them from Anderlecht) got together to give it a new lease of life and turn it back into a mecca for Anderlecht’s social and culinary life. It was an opportunity to try and redefine what a brewery is in 2023. Short menu, local products, less meat, etc. A first-floor room can accommodate all the associations and cultural fabric of Anderlecht.

📍200, Rue Wayez, 1070 Anderlecht   

aesthete-kidswear – Brussels 

Following the successful experience of the Auberge Espagnole, Inga opened her boutique-workshop on 1 April 2023 in the Dansaert/Saint-Géry district. She designs and sells sustainable collections for her “aesthete-kidswear” brand, using high-quality organic cottons and creating comfortable cuts that respect children’s freedom of movement, in a circular, slow-fashion approach. With prints based on watercolours created by Inga, the brand offers a lively, enchanting and offbeat visual world, nurturing creativity and imagination and celebrating the inner world of our children.

📍3, Rue Pletinckx, 1000 Brussels

Feu – Ixelles (Flagey) 

Feu is a boutique jewellery workshop offering introductions to the lost-wax technique. Founded by independent jewellers Amélie Gomet and Sophie Potié, Feu opened in Flagey on 23 September 2023. Amélie and Sophie create jewellery from A to Z, whether made-to-measure or a limited series.

294, Chaussée d’Ixelles, 1050 Ixelles 

Giotto – Ixelles (Châtelain) 

Giotto is a traditional Italian ice cream parlour that opened in mid-April 2023, 50 m from Tenbosch Park. Giotto’s aim is to offer outstanding ice creams using natural, high-quality raw materials while respecting seasonality and favouring short, local circuits. Giotto offers classic fragrances as well as a selection of more original flavours (e.g. spruce, kriek). To reduce its environmental impact, Giotto also tries to reduce and recycle its waste (with edible spoons, for example) and use recyclable materials.

📍152, Rue Washington, 1050 Ixelles 

Plant Your Mood – Uccle 

Plant Your Mood is the first eco-responsible nursery in Brussels to be founded on the principles of agroecology. Sacha Mariotte is a fan of new low-tech technologies and is the first professional in Belgium to work with an underground greenhouse to avoid heating in winter. His aim is to enable the people of Brussels to reclaim the world of plants, by offering them plants grown close to home.

📍83B, Avenue Latéral, 1080 Uccle 

Tout un Fromage – Etterbeek (La Chasse) 

Julien and Florent are two epicureans who have opened a cheese shop in the La Chasse district of Etterbeek. They have known each other for 17 years, and their shared passion for cheese has led them to scour France and Belgium for small farms offering quality, ethical and environmentally friendly products. They have met outstanding local producers, enabling them to showcase Belgian produce.

📍732, Chaussée de Wavre, 1040 Etterbeek 

Café Palto – Bruxelles (Laeken) 

Café Palto is due to once again become THE pub that Laeken’s regulars have been looking forward to for years. The founders aim to revitalise the square and its surrounding shops, restoring its charm of yesteryear.

📍Place Saint-Lambert 

Opening soon

Beans & Buns – Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (Georges Henri) 

Beans & Buns will open in February 2024 in the heart of the Georges Henri district in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. Designed by Matine, this unique space will combine a coffee bar with a micro-bakery specialising in brioche and puff pastry products. The goal is to become a go-to destination for upscale yet affordable coffee breaks. The concept offers exceptional coffee accompanied by artisanal bakery delights, in an inviting and elegant setting. What’s special about this project is that everything is homemade: the coffee is roasted by Matine in the sister company (L’artisanal coffee roasters, two houses away) and the bakery products are made on site.

📍359, Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert 

Kitsune – Brussels

With their experience in the hotel and catering industry and their success with pop-up restaurants such as Kokotte, Pauline and Guillaume are looking to open their 100% plant-based, homemade burger restaurant in the centre of Brussels. Their all-plant fusion cuisine is inspired by Japanese and Korean cuisine and offers the perfect blend of Californian burger and Asian street food. They will appeal to vegans and meat lovers alike, and aim to open in spring 2024. Their project has a fully sustainable and Good Food approach.

📍25, Petite rue des bouchers, 1000 Brussels 

Akko Café – Bruxelles (Bailli) 

Jane’s Akko Café will serve fusion recipes and French pastries with innovative Japanese flavours. It will offer a simple, gourmet menu featuring bentos, sandos, onigiris and original pastries made with Japanese ingredients. Akko Café is a hybrid concept that combines a takeaway, an onsite tasting room and a grocery corner featuring products such as teas from independent producers and Japanese tableware-based crafts. Akko Café favours short circuits by working with farmers and independent producers who respect the environment and want to offer quality products.

📍15, rue du Bailli 

La Senne – Brussels

A café or bakery is what gives a district its soul. However, this was lacking in the La Senne district. The project also aims to strengthen the district’s soul, using the bakery’s passion and skills to create a friendly location where neighbours, students and tourists can meet over homemade dishes and cakes. La Senne café is now located on the first floor of the guesthouse of the same name, which opened a year ago with the same spirit of hospitality. Not just a café…

📍29, rue de la Senne 

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