Of the (admittedly few) things I had to sacrifice on moving to
Berlin, I’m happy to say that my penchant for vintage shopping wasn’t one. Most weekends in England, I would devote some
time to exploring the vintage shops either in Digbeth in Birmingham, Hockley in
Nottingham or further afield, and much pricier, Brick Lane in London. I also spent many a Friday afternoon
rummaging in the charity shops of my native Burton with my mum. Berlin, to my great delight, has its share of
vintage and second-hand stores, often concentrated in particular areas;
Friedrichsain, Kreuzberg and Neukölln all have vintage enclaves. The concept of recycling and reusing is
ingrained in the city’s psyche – the many bars where the furniture looks as
though it came from skips, and the custom of leaving no longer needed goods out
on the street for passers-by to give new homes to are just two examples – so it’s
the perfect environment for the cultivation of a thriving vintage scene. As with everywhere else though, quality and
value can vary enormously.
The Kleidermarkt group has four vintage shops – ‘Garage’ in
Schoeneberg, ‘Colours’ in Kreuzberg and two branches of ‘Made in Berlin’ in
Mitte. The Made in Berlin shops carry
some appealing and good quality stock but it is a little pricy (a similar item
can be much cheaper in Garage or Colours) and it’s a long time since I did
anything but browse in them – I think the last thing I bought was a black
trilby about three years ago during the Tuesday afternoon ‘happy hour’. Garage, opposite the Croatian embassy in a
cul-de-sac near Nollendorfplatz, is a real destination shop. It is huge and a visit here can take up hours,
but there are some great finds if you have the time to root them out. All sorts of people shop in here; I once saw
a girl jumping up and down and going into raptures over an old wedding dress,
and on another occasion I spotted a bearded man disappearing into the fitting
room with an armful of dresses. On my
last trip here I tried on about twenty leather jackets before buying a white pleated
midi skirt, a black 80s-style top and a red belt, spending a total of €11. The belt came from the ‘kilo’ section which is
always worth a look; the clothes here are priced according to weight at €19.99
a kilo. Whatever your purchases weigh,
you pay the relevant amount. It’s best
to be cautious though because, although there are bargains, there is also some
tat, and a lot of heavier items – bulky tweed skirts, leather etc. are on the
kilo section’s rails. Every time I’ve
been in Garage, they’ve had a particular item on offer. For example, one week all skirts will be a certain
price, another week all blouses will be half the ticket price and so on. They also have tubs full of hats and scarves,
handbags, belts and other accessories.
Colours, in the corner of a hof just off Bergmannstrasse (they
certainly make finding these shops a challenge, although there are signs on the
street pointing the way), is similar in kind to Garage with a kilo section and
item-specific special offers. The prices
are also reasonable. If I had a
favourite I would have to say Garage, with Colours an extremely close second. Each of the stores has a weekly ‘happy hour’
with generous discounts, details of which can be found on the Kleidermarkt
website: http://kleidermarkt.de
The entrance to Garage
In general the second hand shops around Prenzlauer Berg are off-limits because the prices are in the extortion bracket, but I usually pop into ReSales http://www.secondhandandmore.com/ – a chain of second hand stores – at least once a week. There is a branch on Prenzlauer Allee, and another on Shönhauser Allee which I’ve bought a few things from – a black tube skirt, an oversized black T-shirt, belts and scarves, but I think my favourite buy was a floaty green and blue dress for €4 which looks like the kind of thing you’d wear at a 1930s garden party.
One place I always like to visit if I’m down that way is
Paul’s Boutique in Oderberger Strasse http://www.paulsboutiqueberlin.de/
There are always plenty of trainers here
– I picked up an Adidas pair for €10 – and brands such as Fred Perry and Ben
Sherman are well-represented. They also
have lots of T-shirts and sensibly-priced vintage dresses. It’s suitably cramped inside as there’s a lot
of stock for the amount of space, and there are more rails sprawling out onto
the street. It’s always fun delving
around in here; good music, friendly staff and lots to investigate.
Paul's Boutique
Recent years have seen the emergence of a more ‘upmarket’
version of the vintage/second-hand store – light, bright interiors, often with
in-house coffee shops, and carefully selected and neatly-displayed stock which
eliminates the need for rummaging. Such
places are havens of tranquillity and very pleasant shopping experiences but for
me all of this departs from the ethos of vintage shopping. I love walking into a shop that looks like a
jumble sale, where stock is piled chaotically, the fitting room is an
insufficiently curtained-off corner, and DIY fashionistas explore in
earnest. There are still plenty of shops
like this but thrift-store prices are becoming a thing of the past. It’s
one thing paying a sizeable sum for a genuine vintage gem but too often I’ve
seen chain store cast-offs that were probably cheaper when new.
It’s a similar story at the weekend flea markets with which
Berlin abounds. They are great for
atmosphere and people-watching, as well as general browsing, particularly the
ones at the Mauerpark and Boxhagener Platz, but bargains are scarce and they
can get crowded. I often visit the one
at Arkonaplatz (Sunday 10.00 – 6.00) not far from the Mauerpark. It’s smaller and less commercial than its
neighbour and the range of wares covers the spectrum from abject tat to
covetable vintage. There were some
beautiful kimonos last time I was there but not in my price bracket I’m
afraid. There is also a nice little
market on the third Sunday of the month along the Maybachufer in Kreuzberg.
O.F.T. www.ohnefragetoll.de/ in Chausseestrasse is a shop with the feel of
a flea market. It’s a lovely, ramshackle
shop selling not only vintage clothes but furniture, lighting and all sorts of
wares from days gone by. It’s worth a
visit just for the atmosphere – the staff are friendly too.
O.F.T.
Charity shops tend to be thin on the ground in Berlin, the
‘Humana’ shops and a couple of branches of Oxfam being rare exceptions. Humana http://www.humana-second-hand.de has
thirteen shops around the city, some of which are huge, practically warranting a
day out. At the Frankfurter Tor branch,
the accent is on vintage. Spread over
three floors, the store is a mecca for Friedrichshain hipsters and
bargain-hunters alike. I bought a black
dress from here which can be worn by itself or over a T-shirt as a pinafore, in
perfect condition, for €9. The branch in
Eberswalder Strasse is much smaller, so far more manageable but likewise
focused on vintage. I often pop in here
if I’m in the area. There is a daily
happy hour between 11.00 and 12.00 when a 20% discount applies across the
board. Items I’ve picked up here include
a couple of ‘granny’ dresses, a sparkly 80s-style batwing-sleeved jumper and a
pair of vintage ski pants. I ended up
cutting the stirrups off the ski pants and turning them into trousers but I
like the high-waisted style of them.
Humana - Eberswalder Strasse
Although I’m not a fan of vast, impersonal malls, I do shop in high-street chains – shopping for ‘new’ is unavoidable – but it is so much more fun when you can put together an original outfit or ‘look’ or when you unearth a special item that remains a beloved staple for years. There are also ethical and environmental benefits in buying re-cycled clothing and, if using charity shops, an obvious philanthropic aspect. I have my favourites – there are many more besides those I’ve mentioned here – and although good, affordable vintage becomes increasingly harder to find, Berlin remains a great place for shoppers from the ‘create-your-own’ mould.
Some not-very-professionally-styled pictures of some of the things I've bought from vintage and charity shops in Berlin:
Sparkly black jumper, skirt with 'Staffordshire knot' pattern
and Converse boots all from Humana, belt fromReSales
Skirt and belt from Garage, T-Shirt and trainers from Paul's Boutique
(I think the T-Shirt was a sample as it was brand new and still had the tags attached)
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