Continue reading the article at:

"Once, a suit was returned after Carnival, taped together with duct tape, and it looked like someone had rolled it down the street," says Maurice Stelder of E-carnivalskleding. "The customer claimed he hadn't worn it, but the tokens from the local pub were still in the pocket."

"I had to sacrifice my bedroom. And then I slept in his room next to it," says Martijn Stelder, pointing to his older brother, Maurice. "That was the compromise for the first year. Then the living room was transformed into a packing room, and feathers from the still-unpacked boas flew all over the house. Mom would watch TV between orders. I'll never forget that."

Not long after, the webshop grew so fast that the family home was no longer enough. "And we really had to move out," laughs Maurice. "I can still remember the driveway being repaved and a delivery driver pulling up with a big truck. That's when our mother said, 'Guys, it's time.'"

So it was time to move. To expand their business. With seven employees, they now process a thousand orders a day, just before Carnival. And those orders come mainly from Brabant. "We also get orders from Limburg, but we often make our own costumes here. We sell most of our ready-made costumes in Brabant. Limburgers do a lot of crafting themselves, and they often come here for accessories to go with their homemade costumes."

The brothers have been working together on the business for 17 years. Side by side. "But it doesn't always go smoothly," laughs Maurice. "And it's okay for it to get awkward," adds his younger brother, Martijn. "We do have our disagreements and arguments, but because we know each other so well, we always manage to work things out. I'm 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 winning combination."