Mellow Yellow (coffeeshop)

Mellow Yellow was the first coffeeshop in Amsterdam. In 1972 squatters occupied a former bakery on the Weesperzijde 53 in Amsterdam. There was much hash dealt, joint smoked en tea drunken that they decicded in 1973 to make it a Tea House, also because there was no license or diploma required.

The shop was named after "Mellow Yellow", a song by Donovan in which he sings about smoking banana peel with the intention to be high. The intent of the shop was to sell cannabis, despite this being illegal at the time of its creation. Sales were originally disguised by drug dealers seated at the bar posing as customers selling in plastic bags pre-packaged hash and weed.

Mellow Yellow was unsuccessfully raided by police several times. Unpackaged cannabis, bought from wholesalers including drug lord Klaas Bruinsma, was hidden behind secret doors and shutters.

In 1975, the concept was adopted by a shop named Russia situated on the same street as Mellow Yellow and was followed by another coffee shop called The Bulldog. 
In 1978, after a fire, Mellow Yellow closed its doors.

In 2014, there is still be a Mellow Yellow-coffeeschop in Amsterdam (Vijzelgracht 33), but this has nothing to do with the shop on the Weesperzijde.