FROM CHURCH PREMISES TO PAWN SHOP TO JAZZ CLUB

Jazz enthusiast Sten Holmquist discovered Stampen as a pawnshop romantically located in the old town of Stockholm. It came complete with a 17th century cellar, and until 1880 had been the premises of the French Reform Church. The name “Stampen” is derived from the stamps clients would receive per regular maintenance payments, for items they had deposited at the pawn shop as collateral.

Converted into a jazz pub in 1968 years ago, many antique items – stuffed animals and instruments – still hang from the ceiling of Stampen, betraying its roots

It has become a meeting place for people of all ages, offering anything from the “American Folk Music of 1910-1959” – traditional jazz as it is known to some – to modern blues, or soul r&b acts. Or as we simply put it: American roots music!

Want a tour of the joint? Click here.