Vintage Shopping In Berlin

I thought that PARIS VINTAGE SHOPPING was hands down the best that I have ever come across but Berlin’s offering comes in at a close second. Unlike in Paris’ Le Marais, London’s Brick Lane or Camden Town or Stockholm’s Sodermalm, there is not one particular area of Berlin that is dedicated to vintage and secondhand clothing and as it is a vast city it was impossible for me to discover all of Berlin’s vintage shops in just four days. However, I was seriously impressed with those that I did – from clothes sold by weight, enormous charity shops and markets to shops selling carefully selected pieces and upcycled clothing. Welcome to my guide to vintage shopping in Berlin.

PICK N WEIGHT
Alte Schöhauser Straße, 30, Mitte.

Buying clothes by weight is not a new concept but it certainly is a great one. Not only does it make shopping fun – you can weigh the items yourself at scales in the shop - but you can find some real bargains. Pick And Weight is a small shop in the heart of Mitte, which is crammed full of treasures and where you buy clothes by the kilo, the price of which depends on the colour of the item’s tag - red is 25€/kg, yellow is 35€/kg, green is 65€/kg and blue is 85€/kg. This exact concept is extremely similar to KILO SHOP in Paris where I used to work so I felt right at home here. Just as I am used to, the clothes are arranged by colour and the rails are jam packed so embrace it and get stuck in.

GARAGE
Ahornstraße, 2, Schöneberg.

Garage is another vintage shop where you buy by the kilo but this time you just need to remember 25€/kg and you are golden. There are some fixed price items but these start from just 3/5/7 euros so how can you complain? This shop has everything, literally EVEYTHING, a bargain hunter could wish for – from vintage tea dresses, printed blouses and woollen jumpers to a shoe and boot collection that is to die for. Even though Garage is rather isolated – away from an area where there are other vintage shops and in a basement of what looks like a housing estate – it is certainly worth going out of your way to visit this enormous store full of bargains just waiting to be discovered.  I picked up a beautifully androgynous velvet blazer on my visit to Garage and as I had been looking for one for a while, I thought 16€ was pretty damn good.   

MADE IN BERLIN

Neue Schönhauser Straße, 19, Mitte.

Made In Berlin is Garage’s more hip, more expensive and more centrally located old sister boasting carefully selected pieces in a beautifully decorated boutique in Mitte. I think we can all agree that the vintage sign and decor behind the cash register (that is the title image to this post) is the prettiest thing ever. From the outside I thought it was going to be quite a small shop but it just keeps going! You might not get any bargains here but you can certainly expect quality, on-trend vintage items such as Levi’s 501 jeans from 30 euros. Plus it is just down the road from the aforementioned Pick N Weight so you can pick and choose where you plurge and where you rummage.

HUMANA

Frankfurter Tor, 3, Friedrichshain. Plus various others. 

There are numerous Humanas around the city and the first one that I discovered was just off Alexanderplatz on my previous trip to Berlin. At the time I impressed by its large floor space but I now know that that was just an average Humana shop. On this recent trip to Berlin, I discovered their four-story “department store” at Frankfurter Tor where any bargain-hunter will feel like they have died and gone to heaven. The first three floors contain a vast selection of secondhand clothing for men, women and children with prices starting from as little as 1€! The fourth floor is dedicated to vintage and although these items are more expensive to those on the lower floors, it is still pretty cheap for vintage.

SING BLACKBIRD
Sanderstraße, 11, Neukölln.

This chic boutique is at the opposite end of the vintage shop spectrum from stores like Humana and Garage but it depends what you like and sometimes it is just nice to have the selection already done for you. Some of us just are not natural bargain hunters but why should that mean you should be deprived of unique items and saving the planet? It should not, so enter Sing Blackbird, which has some gorgeous vintage and secondhand clothing that is all presented beautifully by colour and item across four rooms. Of course this all comes at a price – think 30€ for a blouse, oh and if you do need to think about it, Sing Blackbird also have an adorable little cafe for relaxing and vintage ponderings.

SHIO

Weichselstraße, 59, Neukölln.

On a quiet street in upcoming neighbourhood Neukölln you will find Shio, a rather unique boutique that I instantly fell in love with. Shio has an impressive variety of pieces on offer for such a small space. Firstly let’s talk about their upcycled clothing, which is very reasonably priced (20€ for a crop jumper) seeing as the pieces have clearly been carefully selected and lovingly improved or moderated. In walking round to the back of the shop from the two/three upcycled rails you will find Shio’s own label – new, modern and minimalist clothing for both women and men. I absolutely loved their simple grey men’s tees and cotton midi dresses with striped hemline detailing. Finally they also sell cute jewellery, printed wrapping paper and even soap! Shio, I will definitely be back with a wad of euros on my next trip to Berlin.

MAUERPARK MARKET 

The secondhand and vintage market in Mauerpark takes places every Sunday (come rain or shine) in the beautiful area of Prenzlauerberg. If you are heading to the market, make sure you take a pre or post shopping stroll in the charming streets of Kollwitzkiez. The market is vast and you can expect everything from carefully selected vintage clothing, a large choice of secondhand sheepskin coats (a Berlin favourite) and antiques to retro furniture, independent designers and jewellery. Once you have finished browsing, grab lunch from one of the many food trucks at the back of the market – we went for vegan falafel, which was delicious. If I lived in Berlin, this is definitely where I would come to deck out my flat with old tables, retro armchairs and cute trinkets. Oh Mauerpark Market alone is almost a reason to move to Berlin!

So there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed this guide to just some of the best places for vintage and secondhand shopping in Berlin. Let me know if you have been to any of these shops, if I am missing an major ones and which are your favourite!

Oh and watch my vlog from Berlin just below!

Izzie x

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | LOOKBOOK | PINTEREST