From saving for sneakers to his own shop: Fernon “Non” Prime at De Tafel van Utrecht

At twelve he saved up for sneakers; more than thirty years later he runs his own shop in the heart of Utrecht. In the second episode of De Tafel van Utrecht, Non Prime talked about business, trust and creativity.

It started with saving up for sneakers at the age of twelve. More than thirty years later, Fernon “Non” Prime stands in his own shop in the middle of Utrecht. On Saturday 18 April he was the guest in the second episode of De Tafel van Utrecht Podcast, about entrepreneurship, trust and creative growth.

Non was born in Suriname and grew up in the Netherlands. He worked for years as a network specialist at KPN, until in 2012 he chose to go fully independent. Besides his shop Prime, he is a programme maker at House of Hip Hop Utrecht. He was also the curator of the graffiti and street art exhibition at the Centraal Museum.

Through covid without support

At the table he told how he got his business through the covid period without support or a loan, partly by getting creative and delivering by bike himself. He explained why he hires staff on gut feeling rather than diplomas, and why he never lends money.

The other side came up too. Non talked about the moments he had had enough, about running past yourself for years and about the importance of talking and being vulnerable to prevent burnout. After six in the evening, his WhatsApp is closed.

For anyone who wants to start he had three tips: put in the hours while you are young, make sure you have a buffer and just dare to go for it. He called his parents his greatest example. The audience asked, among other things, whether his customers are a community.

De Tafel van Utrecht is the hybrid podcast of Omroep AfroNet, recorded monthly in front of an audience and streamed live on YouTube and Spotify. The full episode can be watched again on YouTube.

Bronnen

• Omroep AfroNet op YouTube: de volledige live-uitzending