After the Hooisteeg properties were declared uninhabitable in the 1960s, shoemaker Bergmans occupied the entire east side as a workshop. The cottages on the west side, where a similar row stood, were demolished.
When Bergmans retired, it was decided to restore the former workers' cottages. After the completion of that restoration, in late 2002, small-scale, artisanal businesses were established in the premises.
The construction type of the workers' houses in Hooisteeg is characteristic of Waalwijk. As the last remaining dam housing complex, it represents a unique aspect of the social and economic history of the municipality. Together, the dam houses have been a national monument since 2002.
The projection on the façades, in which today's craftsmen and artists figure, was made after the example of a photograph from 1905. For the magazine "Wereldkroniek," shoemakers from the Gold Mine, located a little further west, but no longer in existence, posed at their work chairs.