Berlin shopping

[faust]

So, 95% it looks like we'll be going to Berlin in the last week of May. So, I am asking my fellow tFSers for ANY interesting information you might have. Where to stay, where to go, where to party, where to shop, architecture, nightlife, music, cool areas, EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING!!! Adresses, links, phone numbers, guides, I want it all!!!

 

[Atelier]

If you like soccer, the first thing that comes to mind is the DFB Cup Final on May 28 at Olympic Stadium.

There's also the contemporay design fair DESIGNMAI which looks really interesting but that unfortunately runs May 5-16.

Last time I was there I stayed in Charlottenburg, went to a bunch of cafes/bars on Oranienburger Str. (classed it up once by going to the hotel bar at the Adlon) and basically walked around a lot because there were so many things popping up. I'm sure you've Google'd stuff but here's another: http://www.berlinfo.com/freetime/index.htm.

 

[_Astrid_]

http://www.bless-service.de/

http://www.apartmentberlin.de/

http://www.das-moma-in-berlin.de/

Garage, Berlin's biggest second-hand shop (Ahornstraße 2, Nollendorfplatz, Berlin 10878)

Hedi Slimane's book Berlin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/3882439246/ref%3Dsr%5Faps%5Fbooks%5F1%5F1/026-5411232-6878811

Hi. Just a few random things I could think of.

 

[_Astrid_]

a couple more:

http://www.belleville-store.de

http://www.032c.com/

 

[faust]

If you like soccer, the first thing that comes to mind is the DFB Cup Final on May 28 at Olympic Stadium.

There's also the contemporay design fair DESIGNMAI which looks really interesting but that unfortunately runs May 5-16.

Last time I was there I stayed in Charlottenburg, went to a bunch of cafes/bars on Oranienburger Str. (classed it up once by going to the hotel bar at the Adlon) and basically walked around a lot because there were so many things popping up. I'm sure you've Google'd stuff but here's another: http://www.berlinfo.com/freetime/index.htm.

WOO!!! The final sounds great. But it'd probably be exorbitantly expensive to scalp the tickets.

 

[SiN]

faust - NiN's Berlin show is June 15th ...

 

[Bellissima]

Berlin is amazing.....you'll enjoy it. I've visited a few times, since I lived in Germany for a while.

 

[Estella*]

well, i would suggest the "tacheles" which is a sort of cultural centre...art hotel mitte is a nice place to stay...don't know if you're interested in film but there are very special small cinemas in berlin...i will try to think of more and some adresses
and yes, the cafes at oranienburgerstr. are nice!

 

[travolta]

Shop hours are generally from 10am or 11am to 7pm or 8pm, Monday through Friday, and 10am to 4pm or 6pm on Saturdays. On Sundays you will have to find something interesting in shops at the main train stations (Berlin Zoo and Friedrichstrasse), as these are the only stores permitted to open.
The heart of the 70s retro zone lies in the still-bohemian parts of the eastern neighbourhoods of Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte and Friedrichshain. One can find bell-bottoms, lycra tops and plastic shoulder-bags galore along Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg, for example. More upscale wares and boutiques can be found along the Alte and Neue Schönhauser streets in Mitte, near the Hackescher Markt. These are prime pedestrian areas for strolling if you are in search not just of clothes, but accessories, shoes, gifts, decorative and design collectibles.


shopping...
Berlinomat
Frankfurter Allee 89
10247 Berlin-Friedrichshain
Tel: +49 (30) 420 81 445
Fax: +49 (30) 498 53 224
Website
Friedrichshain is the latest hotspot for those on the hunt for the unconventional. Berlinomat, a funky mini-department store for designer wear, has this in spades. The work of 32 local designers is featured here, accompanied by a techno beat. Try a MILKBERLIN handbag, made entirely of plastic milk boxes, or a pair of the near-forgotten, now cultish Zeha sports shoes. Don't expect any bargains.





Claudia Skoda
Alte Schönhauser Strasse 35
10119 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 280 7211


Claudia Skoda, a leading local fashion designer, excels at stylish, hand-loomed knits made of extra-soft, lightweight wool.



Eisdieler
Auguststrasse 74
10117 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 2790-8683
Website
Pick up some new Berlin style at this former ice-cream shop in Mitte's bar and gallery quarter, where five local designers sell fashionable clothes and accessories.



Fiona Bennett
Grosse Hamburger Strasse 25
10115 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 2809-6330
Website
Fiona Bennett may have learned her craft at an old Berlin millinery, but there’s nothing traditional about the extravagant creations she sells at her shop. These hats make perfect gifts for the fashion-forward female. Customers include Nina Hagen and Vivienne Westwood.



Hut Up
Oranienburger Strasse 32 (Heckmannhöfe)
10117 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 2838 6105
Website


Everything in Christine Birkle’s shop is made of felt: clothes and shoes, bags, scarves, bedcovers and lampshades. Her most inspired creations are hats; off-the-wall constructions that have appeared at fashion shows in Paris, London and Milan. Each original item is hand-shaped out of boiled merino wool.



Penthesileia
Tucholskystrasse 31
10117 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 282-1152
Website
Two women from Berlin run this small leather workshop selling purses, bags and chic rucksacks. You’ll find hip, versatile designs and a big choice of colours to go with any mood or outfit (either as-is or custom-made). They share their workshop with a jewellery maker and two hat designers, so chances are you’ll find something to take home.



Quartier 206 Departmentstore
Friedrichstrasse 71
10117 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 2094-3000
Website


This is Berlin’s smallest and most luxurious department store. Part of a large shopping complex, it sells French designer labels, home furnishings, select coffee-table books and extravagant cosmetics. Go and splurge.



Thatchers
Hackesche Höfe IV
Rosenthalerstrasse 41/41
10178 Berlin-Mitte


Kastanienallee 79
10435 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg
Tel: +49 (30) 448 1215
Website


Thatchers is considered emblematic of the new Berlin style. Pick up smart professional women’s clothes at this showcase for two young Berlin designers. The range is eclectic, including everything from boiled wool shirts in lively shapes to slinky nylon club tees, quilted coats and peekaboo harem pants. Much of it has a retro feel, in whimsical, contemporary fabrics, but it’s all very wearable. The Hackescher Markt store is a bit smarter; along Kastanianallee it is one among many retro-trendy locations. The prices are surprisingly reasonable.



Trippen Shoes
Hackesche Höfe IV and VI
Rosenthaler Strasse 40/41
10178 Berlin-Mitte
Tel: +49 (30) 28 39 1337
Website


With unique, simple shapes and top quality leather, Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler have made a name for themselves as Berlin's premiere contemporary shoe designers, winning numerous international awards for their designs. Besides this flagship store, there is also a gallery on nearby Alte Schönhauser Strasse, and a factory outlet at Chausseestrasse 35.





VIO Berlin
Winterfeldtstrasse 46
10781 Berlin-Schöneberg
Tel: +49 (30) 219 64 718
Website


Viola Wiesinger, a young, successful designer, showcases her form-fitting women’s fashions in this small boutique near the popular Winterfeld market. Winter clothes are soft and fleecy in dark colours; summer frocks are bold elasticised cotton to flatter the figure. Ms Wiesinger not only designs but makes each piece, and will even nip and tuck on the spot. Faux fox wraps are a specialty.

 

[travolta]

sorry it is so long-i didn't mean to post the entire thing!

from the economist.com

 

[Acid]

everyone keeps saying how cool berlin is right now
everything is major cheap too

 

[fezbatik]

...I'm so jealous Faust...
Please have a wonderful time.

 

[Estella*]

beauty, russia and poland

there will be an exhibition at "haus der kulturen" called "über schönheit" with various related projects. here is their website: http://www.ueber-beauty.com/

art and literature by people from poland and russia...very interesting people that is, they call themselves "club der polnischen versager"
...their website: http://www.trial-error.de/polnische

i also liked cafe burger (Kaffee Burger, Torstr. 60 - 10119 Berlin) which is also a club...writer wladimir kaminer's "russendisko" takes place there.

 

[faust]

Thanks so much everyone! Keep it coming! Mettchen, you promised me a guide .

 

[faust]

faust - NiN's Berlin show is June 15th ...

I should change my tickets!!!

 

[*AndoraStar*]

a couple more:

http://www.belleville-store.de

http://www.032c.com/

You are using the same username as one of our members!

 

[Alejandro]

Faust get me some Vodkaa!!

 

[Mettchen]

Thanks so much everyone! Keep it coming! Mettchen, you promised me a guide .

i just pm'ed you faust

 

[faust]

i just pm'ed you faust

Tak!

 

[travolta]

new york times
march 13 2005

For Young Artists, All Roads Now Lead to a Happening Berlin

HE Galerie Max Hetzler II in Berlin was empty, so the young man behind the desk seemed happy to stop reading his paperback and suggest a few contemporary art exhibitions worth seeing in the German capital. Drawing his finger over the map in Index, Berlin's nifty folding gallery guide, he noted more than 20 openings scheduled for that week, most of which he would be attending himself. Like so many young Berliners and foreigners, he had come to the city to revel in its thriving art scene. Even if each stop offered nothing more than pretzels and cheap wine, and a chance to cadge cigarettes from friends, this revolving and continuous set of parties seemed to be the foundation of his social life.

"Nobody works in Berlin," he said, picking up his book again. "Everyone's either an artist or a politician."

It's an old tune, bohemia, and Berlin has heard it before, notably during the Weimar Republic. Lou Reed and David Bowie lived in Berlin during the 1970's and sang about its degenerate charms, as Brecht and Weill had celebrated them in the 20's.

On my first visits, in the early 80's, Berlin was a supremely spooky place. The city's Nazi past was still alive in the stooped figure of Rudolf Hess, the sole inmate in Spandau prison. Street lamps designed by Albert Speer lined the avenues. Throughout the cold war, any aggressive noise from either side registered more acutely in Berlin - its neighborhoods still carved up into four military zones (American, Russian, French, English) - than perhaps anywhere on earth.

But a happening art scene it was not. The dealer Barbara Wien, who arrived from Munich in 1974 as a student, recalls that what little excitement there was centered on committees and communes. "It was an island, and like all islands there was a kind of tedium that eventually infected everything."

The toppling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 recast daily life, as the two halves of the country awkwardly reunited. A capitalist gentility took hold in the historic Scheunenviertel, a district of the old East Berlin, as courtyards along Sophienstrasse and elsewhere were tidied up and residential buildings converted into showcases for art.

Today, what Prague and London were in the 90's, Berlin has now become: a magnet for anyone who wants to live and work in a city that is humming with cultural energy and, by contrast with the rest of northern Europe, an insane bargain.

Contemporary galleries seem to open every month, the most attractive recent arrivals clustered off Holzmarktstrasse in a series of brick warehouses that overlook a canal on the Spree River. Prominent artists from Iceland (Olafur Eliasson), Britain (Tacita Dean), Canada (Stan Douglas) and the former Yugoslavia (Bojan Sarcevic) are only a few of the émigrés who now make their home here. Artists from Oslo and Warsaw look to Berlin as an ideal place to connect to the wider art world and to highlight new creations.

Big-time dealers have followed, too. Max Hetzler, once a force in Cologne, has placed all of his chips on his two Berlin galleries, Max Hetzler and Max Hetzler II; Barbara Thumm arrived in 1994 after seven years in London. Specializing in figurative work, her gallery has a roster that includes Julian Opie, Fiona Banner and Christian Hoischen. "I was intrigued about being in a city that was reconstructing itself," she says. "And the working conditions are so good. Unlike London, it's affordable."

The New York gallery owner Barbara Gladstone, who visits regularly, is particularly impressed by all the "smart young dealers" in Berlin, singling out Galerie Neu and Klosterfelde for special praise. "There's nothing random about what they're doing. It's a very specific aesthetic." She compares the transformation of East Berlin to "almost an East Village mentality - they've reclaimed a part of a city as a center for art."

Space is no longer a pressing issue as it was in West Berlin during the cold war, when bribes were obligatory to secure decent housing. The city skyline is dotted with construction cranes as the German government continues to reclaim Berlin as its capital. Overbuilding, along with the freeing up of real estate in former East Berlin, has made the city a paradise for artists who want lots of room for little money.