This is the mecca of all vintage stores, with its influence felt all over the city and other major cities in Germany. It combines the forces of four different shops – Made in Berlin in Mitte, Garage in Schöneberg and the PicknWeight concept stores in both Kreuzberg and Mitte. They offer a multifaceted range of secondhand clothing taken from all through the ages – including eccentric costume wear to relevant separates, fun prints and patterns to quirky cuts – and the best part is you pay by weight. Items are marked in different sticker colours, each with its own value so you always know what to expect to pay. The company takes pride in curating individual style away from the mass-produced and selling good quality garments at fair prices.
Made in Berlin, Neue Schönhauser Str. 19, Berlin, Germany +49 30 2123 0601
Garage, Ahornstraße 2, 10787 Berlin, Germany +49 30 2112 760
PicknWeight Kreuzberg, Bergmannstraße 102, Berlin, Germany +49 30 6943348
PicknWeight Mitte, Alte Schönhauser Str. 30, Berlin, Germany +49 30 40054388
Sing Blackbird brings its vintage cool to the trendy neighbourhood of Kreuzberg. After fitting yourself with some beautiful vintage pieces you can have a coffee in the boutique which doubles up as a sweet little vegan cafe. Browse through selected vintage clothes, shoes and accessories – many of which are designer pieces, and therefore don’t come cheap. The boutique also organises a monthly flohmarkt (flea market), screens classic films and hosts live music concerts.
Sing Blackbird, Sanderstraße 11, Berlin, Germany +49 30 54845051
You’ll find Humana shops spread around the whole city, but the Humana Kaufhaus in Friedrichshain is definitely the headquarters of thrift shopping in Berlin. You can get pieces for as little as two euros, but be warned; you will have to dig. It’s helpful that the items are colour-coded, but you’ll need to set aside a few hours in order to get through the whole rainbow. Humana is an NGO, part of a humanitarian organisation that is both the dumping ground and treasure chest for old clothes to be resold for a good cause.
Humana, Frankfurter Tor 3, Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany +49 30 422 2018
Step into vintage heaven with a fantastic selection of high quality items and curated outfits. A favourite for the vintage hunters of Neukölln, Let Them Eat Cake also hosts great art-focused events amid its stylish offerings of vintage treasures for both men and women. Located on one of Berlin’s hippest streets, it stays open until 7pm, perfect for a little post-work retail therapy.
Let Them Eat Cake, Weserstr.164 Berlin, Germany +49 30 60965095
Blank Vintage is one of the cheapest places for secondhand attire in Berlin. This store in the heart of Friedrichshain has a particular penchant for 1980s and 1990s fashion. They have a steady roll of new stock coming in just waiting to be discovered in their front room, dedicated to handpicked pieces and individual finds, while the back room is for really cheap pieces going for single digits. Keep your eyes peeled for their one euro sales.
This is not exactly a shop, but it’s definitely one of Berlin’s most trusted and popular spaces for vintage finds. Flea markets are an integral part of the city’s identity as a DIY hub where they have created a platform – and therefore a livelihood – for many independent sellers. Mauerpark is open on weekends and is especially popular on Sundays, where people arrive with the same dedication as if going to Sunday mass. Find great jackets, coats and specialised items, starting from the uber-cheap and working up to the more pricey for one-of-a-kind items.
Mauerpark Flohmarkt, Bernauer Str. 63-64, 13355 Berlin +49 30 29772486