Let me start by saying that, if you are claustrophobic, don't walk into this shop :-) It is however…read morethe most impressive basement shop I have ever visited. From the street you can see the huge old style mirrors hanging along the walkway and then when you have entered the innenhof of the building you will see a bunch more things stacked outside. Once you step down the stairs into the basement you enter a whole new world. It's a huge basement shop filled with chandeliers, vitrines, tableware, furniture, lamps, antiques, old frames / photos / paintings and heaps of other things. I reckon, there is over a 1000 chandeliers alone, hanging from the ceiling and tightly packed into the place. The amount of beautiful bohemian crystal here is amazing. I checked out the prices of many of the items and it looked ok. It's not cheap but most of these things aren't. If you like classic and old style things you will love this place. It's packed with goodies for the curious shopper and collector.

It is always wonderful to have a full circle moment when traveling. Last winter, I had a magical…read moreweekend in Tacoma, Washington. Now, not everyone would consider Tacoma a 'magical place' since it is an industrial area south of Seattle. But, that is old news. The city has gone through an artistic renaissance and is now known for an entirely different thing, glass. Very artistic, high end glass and the home of famous artist, Dale Chihuly. Now, what does that have to do with a contemporary metal sculptor in Munich? Well, across the Tacoma Narrows bridge is another artistic and very scenic community named Gig Harbor. You can walk the length of the town along the water in about an hour. But, they also have a thriving art scene and during our visit had an art walk and scavenger hunt at local galleries. I saw a lot of art in all different mediums that day, but only made one purchase... a weinhalter (bottleholder) from Hinz & Kunst. So imagine my surprise, when strolling throught the winter market at Sendlinger-Tor Platz, to find a booth selling hundreds of items from Hinz & Kunst. The gallery in Washington only carried the wine holders, but now I know that was only a small piece of a widely varied and joyful collection of metal figures and functional items, like toilet paper holders. A kloman-klopapierhalter (person reading a newspaper sitting on a toilet which is also a toilet paperholder). Sounds so much better in German. So my American friends can make the trek to Gig Harbor for their tax free purchases and my European friends can give a little business to the artist based in Munich. Win-win.

I love this shop. Now that we have moved house and looking for things to decorate the house with, I…read morelove it even more ;-)) this is a shop with lots of retro used furniture and lamps and odds and sods for the house. Their selection is constantly changing and many of the items are there for a day or two and then sold. The guy who owns the shop speaks good English and is very nice and welcoming. This shop is cash only and you can find tons of things like chairs and lounges, coffee tables, lamps both desk and floor. The majority of the stuff is from the 40's to the 80'with some odds and sods thrown in. I bought a gorgeous floor lamp from the guy and he was ok to accept less for it and was happy to sell it to me. I always browse through the windows here every time I walk by and look for what's new. His prices are reasonable and his selection is changing often. If you are looking for retro furniture this place is one I would recommend you stop in. With a bit of TLC you will have some fine original retro furniture for not a lot of money ;-))