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"A package once came back after carnival that was taped together with duct tape and looked as if someone had rolled around the street in it", says Maurice Stelder of E-carnavalskleding. "The customer claimed that he hadn't worn it, but the coins from the local pub were still in the pocket."

“I had to sacrifice my bedroom. And then I slept in his room", says Martijn Stelder while pointing to his older brother Maurice. "That was the compromise the first year. After that, the living room was turned into a storage room and the feathers from the yet-to-be-packed boas flew through the whole house. Mom was watching TV among the orders then. I will never forget that."

Not long after, the webshop grew so fast that the family home was no longer sufficient. "And we really had to get out", Maurice laughs. "I can still remember that the driveway had been newly paved and that a supplier was driving up in a large truck. Then our mother said: 'Boys, it's time'."

So it was time to move. To expand the business. By now they process a thousand orders a day with seven employees, just before carnival. And those orders come mainly from Brabant. "We also have orders from Limburg, but we still often make our own outfits here. We sell the majority of the ready-made costumes in Brabant. Limburgers make a lot themselves, and then often come to us for an accessory for the homemade outfit."

The brothers have been working together on the business for 17 years. Side by side. "But that really doesn't go well every day", Maurice laughs. "And that's allowed to cause friction too", younger brother Martijn adds. "We really do have disagreements and arguments, but because we know each other so well, we always work it out. I am a bit more daring and like to take risks. Maurice is a bit more conservative." Maurice nods to his younger brother. "But we see that as a golden combination."