Just as the beehive buzzes
Just as the beehive buzzes
Josef Müller-Brockmann's logo for De Bijenkorf.
De Bijenkorf (literally, "the beehive") is a Dutch high-end retailer and department store that was founded in 1870 by Simon Philip Goudsmit as a small haberdashery selling yarn and ribbons. Although the origins of the name are unknown, legend says that, just as the beehive buzzes, droves of people were expected to come.
The beehive was a recurring motif throughout the history of the store, dating back to 1870. Official documentation shows that in 1892, following the death of her husband, widow Sara Goudsmit applied for permission to display a public sign that combined an image of a beehive with the name Bijenkorf. This came at a time when Sara, her cousin Arthur Isaac, and son Alfred expanded the business and began taking over neighbouring buildings.
Between 1870 and 1937 the depiction of the beehive evolved from the purely illustrative toward the abstract, undergoing various rounds of simplification as the store grew in size, diversified its product lines and added new locations.