überlin

I love that in Berlin there are still so many hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. You can be walking down a quiet street and pass something so unique, unusual or just downright weird that you wonder why people like us haven’t written about it yet? Well I’m about to do my job and blog the shit out of an awesome little store I happened upon recently, called Lindt Second Hand Berlin.

A little disclosure – I normally find vintage shopping pretty frustrating, with most things either overpriced or falling apart (Mauerpark springs to mind!). While I tend to steer well clear, on this occasion I was out with a friend who was on a mission to find a vintage dress for a wedding. So I have Hannah to thank for this little find!

Right away, I was taken aback by the attention to detail that the shopkeeper has obviously taken with the decor. There are some really wonderful details like a huge cake stand full of garden gnomes, a handmade parrot hanging from the ceiling and a child’s rocking horse nestling in between the dresses.

The owner clearly loves what she does and does it really well – presenting a selection of 50s, 60s and 70s dresses that had me watering at the mouth. Every item that I picked up seemed to have been chosen for some reason – its beautiful detailing, unique print or flattering cut.

And here’s where it gets really interesting: Lindt’s prices are REALLY REASONABLE (capitals absolutely necessary). OK, so this isn’t the place for Colours “pay-by-the-weight” bargains… But if you’re looking for great quality, carefully selected vintage pieces that won’t hurt the bank balance too much then I really recommend you check out Lindt Second Hand Berlin. P.S For all you blokes out there they do mens stuff as well!

Last week couldn’t have been busier with Berlin Fashion Week, Bread & Butter, Rollin Restaurant and an amazing night in Berghain all squished into seven short days. As if that wasn’t enough for my weary feet, I also managed a trip to Berlin’s Vintage Fashion Fair, Toast & Jam. Although a little on the small side for the €4 entry fee, it was like stepping into an Aladdin’s cave of treasure. A mix of decades offered something for everyone, and stalls were well laid out with quality hand-picked wears. Perfect for the bargain hunter who prefers carefully edited selections to flea market free-for-alls!

Now this is a real fleamarket. This Aladin’s Cave, tucked in beside the Arena at Treptow, makes Arkonaplatz look like IKEA and Mauerpark look like a catwalk. We happened across the Hallentrödelmarkt (indoor flea market) on our way home from the International Tattoo Convention, and to be honest, this place was weirder. We encountered mountains of junk, an otherwise normal looking girl test-driving an accordian and countless angry stall owners telling us “keine Fotos!” (I guess if we can’t take a picture of that stuffed badger, we’re just going to have to buy it?!) Every time you see a computer monitor up a tree, or a giant plastic chandelier hanging from the ceiling of a neighbourhood bar, we’d bet it has passed through here. Come down and have a poke around – there’s no telling what you might find.

Hallentrödelmarkt Treptow takes place every Saturday and Sunday at Eichenstraße 4. For more details visit Qype.

We recently asked our Facebook fans what they wanted to see more of on the blog and the top answer so far (go vote!) has been “cool things to see and do in Berlin”. Now we don’t get out much, and if we do, we don’t stray from our Kiez – but that’s OK, because the area around Graefestrasse in Kreuzberg has everything we need (except for great coffee).

I decided that a niftybobs way of introducing you to the neighbourhood would be a personalised Google Map marked up with our highlights. As well as a dangerous number of eateries (I’m writing this with a gut-full of ice cream), there are bars, Hard Wax records (which I’m claiming even though its located over the canal), an expert tattooists and – what the what? – a licorice shop??!!

So have a click around Graefekiez. Let us know if we’ve missed anything, and why not make a map of your area? We’d love to get an insider’s view on other parts of Berlin. Ciao!

View Graefekiez in a larger map

We’ve been fans of vintage clothing store and café Sing Blackbird ever since Berlin Unlike sent us to review the place. Despite moving into the same area and always getting a warm welcome/German language help from the lovely owners, we haven’t yet made it along to the various film screenings and concerts they throw, and have only just made it down to their (semi) monthly flohmarkt.

Occupying the space in front of the double-fronted store, the fleamarket is small but perfectly-formed, offering a nice little selection of second-hand garments that straddle the line between cool and trying too hard. Admittedly, the tables outside struggle to compete with the carefully-edited collection within Sing Blackbird itself – not to mention the draw of tasty vegan brunch and delicious homemade cakes – but they make for a short-but-sweet Sunday amble. Check out Sing Blackbird on Facebook for updates on upcoming fleamarkets and other events.

This great post about Mauerpark over on glamcanyon perfectly illustrates everything I’ve started to hate about Berlin’s favourite fleamarket. If I wanted to be surrounded by worthless crap and people making tits out of themselves, I’d have stayed in East London. A couple of weeks ago, we balked at the prospect of another Sunday crushed between the crowds and the Cold War tat, and decided to check out the flohmarkt at nearby Arkonaplatz. We were pleasantly surprised to find both elbow room and stuff that we actually wanted to buy – leather chairs and sofas in excellent condition and a quirky little black-and-brass magazine rack. Sadly we decided the deer hoof coat rack was more hunting lodge than Black Lodge, so we left it behind. Maybe next time…