Amsterdam, the city of canals, crooked houses, and that unmistakable Red Light glow. Behind the postcards and party snaps, there’s a piece of history that changed cannabis culture forever.
It all kicked off in 1975 when Henk de Vries, a rebellious Amsterdammer with a nose for trouble and an eye for opportunity, turned his dad’s old sex shop into something the world had never seen before: a coffeeshop that actually sold cannabis over the counter. No secret knocks, no dodgy backrooms, just the best hashish, good company, and a living room that welcomed everyone.
The Bulldog No.90 or The First, as it is known, didn’t just break the glass ceiling, it shattered it. From police raids and stash stools to oranges rolling down the hatch and queues snaking out the door, this little spot in the Red Light District became the premier coffeeshop and a cannabis icon.
In this blog, we’re rolling back the years to tell the history of The Bulldog Amsterdam No.90, how it helped shape Amsterdam’s legendary coffeeshop scene, and why it’s still a must-see stop for locals, tourists, and cannabis lovers alike.
From Sex Shop to Cannabis Landmark: How Henk de Vries Changed Amsterdam
The story of the world’s first coffeeshop doesn’t actually start with cannabis or coffee. It starts with porn.
When Henk de Vries inherited his father’s sex shop at No.90 Oudezijds Voorburgwal, he was less than impressed with the business and the kind of customers it attracted. Henk, never one to back down, tried to return the stock, only to be offered a laughable 10% of what he’d paid.
True to rebellious form, Henk didn’t just walk away quietly; he made a statement. In a move that would set the tone for everything to come, he dumped the shop’s entire porn collection onto the streets and into the canal.
Clearing out the sex shop was just the warm-up act to the main event. Henk was already eyeing something bigger, such as tapping into Amsterdam’s underground energy and helping define its future. And the first spark? It came a few years before the porno debacle at a music festival, of all places.
The Festival That Sparked a Cannabis Empire: Kralingse Bos, 1970
Before The Bulldog Amsterdam became the king of coffeeshops, Henk de Vries had a little ‘lightbulb moment’ or maybe we should call it a ‘matchbox moment.’
Flashback to 1970 at the Kralingse Bos Festival in Rotterdam. Picture it: 150,000 people vibing to Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and The Byrds, and somewhere in the haze, there’s Henk, already the guy you wanted to know if you were looking for a good time. Henk had generously supplied his mates with enough grass to keep them floating through the weekend.
Then something unexpected happened. Someone tried to sell Henk back his own stash. Most people would laugh it off (or roll one and forget about it), not Henk. Annoyed but inspired, he realised two things:
- There was a serious demand for quality cannabis.
- His friends were sneaky and greedy.
Without missing a beat, Henk raced back to Amsterdam, scooped up over a kilo of African grass, packed it into empty matchboxes, and drove straight back to the festival. There, perched on a little bridge, he set up shop. He started selling those matchboxes, sparking the idea that would later become The Bulldog Amsterdam empire.
Inside the World's First Coffeeshop: The Bulldog No.90 Opens in 1975
By the time Henk rolled back into Amsterdam after his Kralingse Bos lightbulb moment, one thing was clear: the man wasn’t just slinging grass; he was about to change the game, even if it was to be a few more years before the birth of The Bulldog First.
Inspired by the old Dutch teahouses, where you could sip tea for free and “donate” to the house dealer for a bit of hash on the side, Henk figured: why not cut the dance and sell the good stuff over the counter? So in 1975, he took his father’s old sex shop at No.90, cleared out the last dusty VHS tapes, and transformed the place into something totally new: a coffeeshop.
And no, we’re not talking flat whites, turmeric lattes, or whatever hipster nonsense came later; this was strictly hash, joints, and maybe a coffee if you remembered to order one.
He wanted a spot that felt like a living room, comfy, familiar, where the neighbourhood and the world could meet over a joint. A place with an international vibe and no pretensions. Just cannabis, conversation, and a little bit of controlled chaos.
That’s how The Bulldog No.90 and the world’s first coffeeshop was born: part living room, part revolutionary act, part let’s see what we can get away with. It didn’t take long before the place became a magnet for locals, travellers, and the occasional curious cop.
The Early Days: Raids, Oranges, and Stash Stools
Amsterdam in the ’70s might seem liberal in hindsight, but back then, selling cannabis wasn’t allowed, which meant Henk and his crew were pretty much running a nonstop game of cat and mouse with the police. And oh, did the police come to play.
In its first year, The Bulldog got raided so often it could’ve handed out loyalty cards. We’re talking up to 1,000 police raids in that first year alone, sometimes five times a day. Picture 20–30 officers storming in, grabbing the stash, hauling customers off to the cells at Leidseplein, and handing out fines like confetti. Here’s the thing: customers would be back at The Bulldog an hour or so later, fine in hand, ready for round two, and Henk, being the businessman he was, would replace the goods they lost.
Try finding that on TripAdvisor: five stars and a fresh eighth
Of course, Henk and his crew weren’t about to make it easy for the cops. Whenever a raid was incoming, staff would send an orange rolling down the serving hatch to warn the basement dealers: a little citrus signal to clear the stash. And if you were lucky enough to sit on the infamous stash stool, let’s just say you were part of the action.
Even today, if you look closely inside No.90, you’ll spot tributes to those wild days, from the nod to the orange that saved the stash to the old VHS corner and the legendary stool where Amsterdam’s cannabis history was quite literally hidden.
The Art That Put The Bulldog on the Map: Harold Thornton's Iconic Mural
Of course, you can’t talk about The Bulldog No.90 without mentioning its look; trust us, you can’t miss it. Enter Harold Thornton, a.k.a. Harold Kangaroo (apparently every Amsterdam crew needs at least one Australian expat). Harold was no ordinary painter; the man had a talent for turning heads and a paintbrush like few others.
When Henk asked Harold to paint a simple sign for the coffeeshop, Harold, well, let’s just say he ran away with the idea. Instead of the neat little sign Henk probably imagined, Harold went into complete psychedelic mayhem. He turned the whole façade into an acid trip on brick, instantly making No.90 the most Instagrammable building before Instagram was even a thing. To this day, it’s a beacon for backpackers, stoners, tourists, and curious passersby who can’t help but stop and snap a photo.
Did You Know? Amsterdam’s Red Light District Is More Than Red Lights
Sure, the Red Light District is famous for its glowing windows and late-night mischief, but there is much more to it than ladies-in windows and drunk tourists. For centuries, this part of Amsterdam has been a melting pot of sailors, artists, rebels, and rule-breakers, the kind of crowd that made it the perfect home for The Bulldog No.90. It’s a place where tolerance has always been part of the DNA, whether it’s sex work, gambling, or cannabis culture.
The Bulldog Amsterdam's Global Legacy: From Amsterdam to the World
Who knew a handful of matchboxes and a rebellious streak would end up shaping global cannabis culture? That’s precisely what The Bulldog First did.
Henk’s little experiment didn’t just spark a coffeeshop; it drew the blueprint for a movement. No.90 became a magnet for locals, tourists, artists, musicians, and the occasional celebrity (some you’ve heard of). While the police raids eventually calmed down, the buzz around The Bulldog only got louder.
Today, The Bulldog Amsterdam brand stretches beyond that little basement on Oudezijds Voorburgwal. We’re talking coffeeshops, hotels, bars, merchandise, and, of course, The Bulldog Seeds, letting people bring a bit of that rebellious Amsterdam spirit into their own homes and gardens.
At its heart, No.90 is still the same. It’s still where people from all over the world come to connect over a joint, a coffee, and a shared love for freedom, fun, and a little bit of rule-bending.
