A.C. PERCHS TEASHOP

It was at Christianshavn that trade with the East began in earnest. In the second half of the 18th century, both trade and prosperity flourished in Christianshavn. This was not only because the Asian Company stayed here, but also because all the ships with goods from the far East docked in this area.Asian Company, however, was not the only one selling home-brought goods on its operations. Many other merchants established themselves nearby, and they received goods from the company as well as from the captains who had the disposition of part of the ships’ cargo.Among the most respected of these merchants was Jens Bay Perch, who drew great inspiration and help from the highly respected great merchant Niels Brock, with whom young Jens had been apprenticed. During his apprenticeship, Jens Perch had quickly gained respect among his fellow citizens, and in 1776 he started his first business in Christianshavn, not far from the small canals.Jens Bay Perch chose to call his firstborn son, born in 1788, after his friend and merchant Niels Brock. Thus the son came to be called Niels Brock Perch. Perch his son was made for trade and in 1823 he opened his first retail store under Børsen, where Denmark’s first “supermarket” was housed. This is where, for the first time, small shops were designed side by side under the same roof.In April 1835 Niels Brock Perch opened a small shop in Kronprinsensgade 5, where the shop is still housed today. The goal of the business was to sell the best teas f