Mensing's Caminada

What Mensing's Caminada does

Mensing's Caminada operates a single physical "one-stop-shop" retail destination in Willemstad, Curaçao, combining the island's largest bookstore with a stationery, office-supply, toy, greeting-card, gift, music, and electronics assortment, plus an attached café (Chit Chat Café). Founded in 1971 as Mensing's Strada, the business was rebuilt in 1982 under its current name on a site nearly twice the size after a 1979 fire destroyed the original Strada Shopping Center. Through the 1990s and 2000s it layered in adjacent services — a coffee/snacks bar (1993), a non-fiction specialty section (1999), plus copy services, event-ticket sales, prepaid cards, postage stamps, and a customer mailbox (1999) — and in 2012 completed a full café renovation that added a 40-seat outdoor terrace, an enclosed KidsZone, and an expanded food menu.

The core product is the multi-language bookstore (Dutch, English, Spanish, Papiamento) backed by a 323+ page Shopify e-commerce catalog with ANG/USD/EUR pricing. The café operates on a separate Lightspeed POS, supports an 80-seat indoor/outdoor footprint, and runs on Smit & Dorlas Arabica coffee. Technology is deliberately commodity: Shopify for commerce, Lightspeed for café registers, Zoom for the Mastermind Bookclub, and standard social channels (Facebook, Instagram) plus email for marketing. The company also offers a Zoom-based subscription book club at USD 150 per 13-week session with a 5% charitable donation component.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across one-time retail product sales, café food and beverage, copy services (ƒ0.75 single / ƒ1.50 double A4), event-ticket transaction fees, prepaid card and stamp sales, the recurring book-club subscription, and a special-order book service that requires 50% down payment. Customer segments are horizontal and broad: general consumers and families, students and educators, café visitors (including families using the KidsZone), and community members attending author events. The business is privately held, family-owned, single-location, and Curaçao-domiciled within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with 7 employees and no disclosed external investment or holding structure.

Name

Mensing's Caminada

Legal name

Mensing's Caminada

Website

https://mensings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mensing's Caminada is a single-location retail bookstore and café (Chit Chat Café) in Willemstad, Curaçao, operating as the island's largest multi-language one-stop-shop for books, stationery, toys, gifts, and adjacent services for local families, students, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Bookstore and Café

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores (CRALAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stationery, Gifts & Greeting Value Stores (CRAEAGAI), Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA), Calendars, Planners & Organization Supplies Retail (CRALABAJ)

Keywords

• Retail bookstore
• Café food service
• Office supplies
• School supplies
• Greeting cards

Headquarters

HQ city

Willemstad

HQ country

Curaçao

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail product sales: Sales of books, magazines, office supplies, stationery, toys, educational items, greeting cards, music CDs, electronics (laptops, headphones), gifts, and gadgets through physical retail store and online shop.
2. Café food and beverage sales: Chit Chat Café generates revenue from coffee drinks, sandwiches, salads, soups, pastries, and local snacks (pastechi, empaná, kala, krokèt). Features Smit & Dorlas Arabica coffees.
3. Book ordering service: Special order service for books not in stock or topics not carried. Requires 50% down payment on estimated price.
4. Copy and printing services: Black and white copying service at ƒ0.75 per page (single-sided A4) and ƒ1.50 per page (double-sided).
5. Event ticket sales: Sells tickets for local events and activities in their music section for a small fee per ticket.
6. Prepaid cards and stamps: Sale of prepaid telephone cards, iTunes cards, and postage stamps. Mailbox available for customer use.
7. Book club membership: Mastermind Bookclub sessions via Zoom at USD 150 (ANG 270) for 13 weeks, facilitated through the store. 5% of fee donated to charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mensing's Caminada runs a one-stop-shop retail bookstore combined with an on-site café (Chit Chat Café) in Willemstad, Curaçao, selling books, magazines, office and school supplies, toys, greeting cards, music, electronics, gifts, and gadgets. It supplements retail with paid services including black-and-white copying, special-order book procurement (50% down payment), prepaid telephone and iTunes cards, postage stamps, mailbox rental, local event ticket sales, and a recurring 13-week Zoom book club (Mastermind Bookclub).

Product overview

Mensing's Caminada is a traditional retail 'one-stop-shop' established in 1971 in Curaçao, operating as a large bookstore combined with a café (Chit Chat Café), office and school supplies, toys, gifts, and various services. The core product is its bookstore—the largest on the island—offering books and magazines in multiple languages, complemented by Chit Chat Café serving coffee and food, and retail sections for office supplies, toys, greeting cards, electronics, and gifts. Services include book ordering, copy services, pre-paid cards, stamps, and event ticket sales. The company operates on a Shopify e-commerce platform with Lightspeed POS for café operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chit Chat Café: A modern yet cozy café offering coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and local snacks. Features Smit & Dorlas Arabica coffees, fresh made sandwiches and salads, and local delicacies. Includes a KidsZone play area for children.

Products and services

• Books & Magazines Largest bookstore on Curaçao offering books in Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento, including bestsellers, literary fiction, non-fiction, travel guides, local interest, and Curaçao-themed titles. Includes weekly, monthly, and quarterly magazines with a free reservation service.
• Office & School Supplies Wide range of stationery, paper, notebooks, files, folders, organizers, staplers, perforators, calculators, and writing implements from brands including Cross, Parker, Pilot, Sharpie, Stabilo, Paper Mate, BIC, Esselte, Bruynzeel, Leitz, Paperblanks, and Carioca. Back-to-school one-stop-shop promotion runs June through August with notebooks, schoolbags, backpacks, lunch boxes, and pencil cases.
• Toys & Educational Toys Educational toy department featuring baby and toddler play toys, board games, building blocks, and puzzles from brands including Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Jumbo, King, Hasbro, Mattel, Play-Doh, and Melissa & Doug.
• Greeting Cards Extensive selection of greeting cards from Hallmark, American Greetings, Blue Mountain, and Designer Greetings in English, Dutch, Spanish, and Papiamento for birthdays, births, baptisms, weddings, farewells, and sympathy, plus seasonal cards and island postcards.
• Music, Electronics & Computers Music CDs including local releases, Golden Oldies, classical, jazz, gospel, and children's music, plus electronics such as HP, DELL, and Lenovo laptops and assorted headphones and earbuds.
• Gifts & Gadgets Gift items for every gender, age, and occasion including writing sets, books, journals, educational toys, key chains, photo frames, jewelry, watches, leather wallets, and fashion bags, plus practical gadgets such as purse hangers, mirrors, pill box sets, credit card cases, smartphone chargers, batteries, and home décor items.
• Chit Chat Café On-site café featuring Smit & Dorlas Arabica coffees, fresh sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries, and local snacks including pastechi, empaná, kala, and krokèt, with book-themed menu items, free WiFi, indoor seating for 40, outdoor terrace seating for 40, and an enclosed KidsZone toddler play area. Senior 10% discount on food and drinks every Monday; buy-one-get-one-free coffee on Wednesdays and frozen cappuccino on Saturdays 2:00–6:00pm.
• Copy Services Black and white copying service at ƒ0.75 per page (single-sided A4) and ƒ1.50 per page (double-sided).
• Book Ordering Service Special-order service for books on topics not carried or that are out of stock, including school and college textbooks; requires 50% down payment on the estimated price.
• Prepaid Cards & Stamps

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Amazon: Global e-commerce giant whose Books and Kindle divisions are the dominant competitive force for physical bookstores worldwide. Relevant as the structural pressure on Mensing's core book retail business and as a benchmark for the scale of online competition the store must defend against.
• Waterstones: Leading UK high-street bookstore chain operating physical stores with cafés and curated multi-category inventory. Comparable for the physical bookstore-plus-café retail format that Mensing's applies on Curaçao at much smaller scale.
• Indigo Books & Music: Canada's largest bookstore retailer operating physical superstores combining books, toys, gifts, stationery, and lifestyle products. Comparable for the one-stop-shop retail model and cross-category merchandising approach that Mensing's applies on a smaller, single-location scale.
• Barnes & Noble: Largest physical bookstore chain in the United States. Comparable as a multi-category specialty retailer offering books, toys, games, gifts, and stationery under one roof, but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Mensing's single Curaçao store.
• Books-A-Million: Second-largest bookstore chain in the United States. Comparable as a multi-category bookstore retailer offering books, toys, gifts, and stationery under one banner, but at chain scale rather than Mensing's single independent location.

Direct peers

• Powell's Books: Iconic independent bookstore in Portland known for being among the largest independent bookstores globally, with multi-category inventory and a strong community/event programming. Comparable as a large-format independent bookstore focused on curation and community engagement rather than pure retail scale.
• Daunt Books: Independent UK bookstore chain with Edwardian galleried shops and a curated multi-category selection. Comparable for the curated independent-bookstore retail format with strong in-store experience and a multi-product retail mix spanning books and gifts.
• McNally Jackson Books: Independent NYC bookstore with attached café, author events, and curated multi-language selections. Closely comparable to Mensing's hybrid bookstore-plus-café concept with strong community programming and a curated multi-category retail mix.
• The Strand Bookstore: Iconic independent bookstore in NYC known for its legendary inventory depth ('18 miles of books') and curated staff picks. Comparable as an iconic, large-inventory independent bookstore with strong brand recognition built over decades in its market.
• AKO: Largest Dutch-language bookstore chain in the Netherlands with multi-language catalog and stationery/gift adjacencies. Comparable as a bookstore-plus-stationery retailer serving a Dutch-speaking customer base with similar product mix and brand positioning to Mensing's Curaçao operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mensings
• Instagraminstagram.com/mensingscaminada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mensing's-caminada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mensing's Caminada