One of the things that completely surprises me is how much a brocki/thrift shop can change in a short period of time.
Zürcher Brockenhaus was always a cool place to shop for furniture and used books, but I think I said it 'sucked' overall in terms of clothing, etc. When I had gone the first time, there wasn't much left on the racks, and I'm fairly certain that there were less racks of clothing and shoes altogether.
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| From the Entrance. Gardening section: far corner, right. |
Not so yesterday, on the 31 of July.There was more clothing than I had time to look at (ooh, bad - breaking a thrifting success rule!), there were YOUNG people around MY AGE trying on crazy lapel-less padded-shoulder mint green blazers from the 80s just for fun (actually, the way they were talking, I rather wondered if they were fashion design students).
I hope that there are always younger people around at the ZB, and it's not just a Street Parade-related phenomena. Hard to say. ;)
There was, unfortunately, rather a lot of steep competition in there from several demographics. I spied a D&G golden tank top for 30 CHF but decided against trying it on (at the end of a long day, and it looked a bit on the short side). There were all sorts of real vintage gems in there, and also some more typical offerings, too.
I'm just going to say it because I think it needs to be said, but - if you can get to the Zürcher Brockenhaus early in the day, it might pay off for you rather well. :) I haven't tested that theory, but based upon my experiences of thrifting in Zürich, I rather suspect it would be a good move.
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| Furniture is on EVERY floor here. |
I didn't buy any articles of clothing, but I made off with a bunch of accessories in the form of plastic jewelry (that sounds so much more tacky and less kitsch when I write it that way!).
I also scored a burled olive wood cutting board/cheese plate for 4 Fr., and a tiny (but perfect) gravy boat for the same. That gravy boat had been on my 'to buy' list for more than 6 months, but persistence paid off and I found a small one that I can find storage for at home. ;) Sweet deal.
Here are the Pros, Cons, and Tips for the Zürcher Brockenhaus from July 2014:
Pros:
- Clean, airy, organized and rather a funky place to hang out. There's a cafe on the upper floor (Olga Bar) that was much more inviting than the cafe in the Arche Brockenhaus' music section. I would recommend both to a hipster. ;)
- Has the best selection of vintage furniture, from all time periods, than any other store I've been to (at home and abroad)... But perhaps not the best prices for them.... read on....
- Just plain fun to shop at - a great place for N00b thrifters and people with a 'grime' aversion. I'd say come here first, and if you love it, then (and only then!) try Brockiland!
- There were no annoying/creepy old people harrassing me here, though I did encounter one of them at the Heilarmee the same day (one of the 'reachers' who, rather than continue in their section, reaches past and over and through you to scoop you on what you're looking at. So hard not to really lose it with these old bats!)
- Has shopping baskets
- Has a change room
- Opening hours are reasonable (10 to 18:30 on weekdays, 10 to 16:00 on Saturday)
- Has a place to drop off kids (with a TV) so you can shop in peace... though no one there had any kids with them to begin with
- Supplies cute pink paper bags (for free), and newspaper to wrap your breakables in
- Friendly-enough staff (though it seemed hit-and-miss, depending on who you got)
- Takes cards as well as cash (but there's a downside...)
Cons:
- 20 CHF minimum on debit/card purchases (I had to buy another necklace to hit 20 Fr.!)
- You have to buy all your purchases on the floor you found them - can't bring un-purchased merchandise into the stairwell or to another floor
- Quite a lot of competition, given its downtown location
- Prices are high in some respects (though I think I did rather well today!). Saw a battered old leather bag I liked that had a 80 Fr. price tag, for example - I guess they must know their collectibles and brands better than I do! For furniture, I would still say that the 'sleeper winner' would be Arche Brockenhaus - the prices are very good there! Check multiple stores, of course, if you're actively searching for furnishings!
- Location is somewhat inconvenient, despite its location near Sihlquai. Whichever direction you come from, it's at least a few blocks' walk to the shop.
- You can't take your bags around with you - but they supply lockers at the front (yellow, at right of the entrance) for a returnable deposit fo 2 CHF.
Tips:
- BRING A 2 FR. COIN! :) Otherwise you'll have to acquire one to stow your bags/backpacks at the front of the store (yellow lockers - your coin is returned to you)
- I think they have a lot of trouble with theft, so anything small is locked up in glass display cases - which makes browsing the 3 Fr. earrings, for example, difficult and tedious.
- All of the new men's belts they were selling (8 Fr.!) were child-size (i.e. 80cm in length! My skinny man needs 91cm!), but they were located and labelled as men's belts. I can't even think of a man with a waist that small! Disappointing, because the sweat-shop-free belts at American Apparel that I was looking at were 52 Fr., which I decided to not purchase. My search continues...
- The clientele was nicely (and healthily) mixed - I was really glad to see people in my demographic, even if it meant competition. There were a couple of B's, but most of the girls were shopping peacefully, which was a really nice change of pace for me! So if you're sick of the kleptomaniacs and demented old folks like I am, try here!
- They sell children's play tea sets (so adorable!), which are located in the tiny kids' section display cases, on the far side of the till (kasse) towards the men's clothing. I hadn't seen those before. I think this would make a sweet gift!
- Musical instruments (not cheap) are located in a display case on the ground floor near the stairwell leading upstairs.
- There is a garden section on the ground floor on the far side of the cash desk / till, which you could probably just spy from the door, if you were looking.
- CHECK EVERY SECTION in this store, especially if you're in the market for 'home decor' - many items are 'displayed' on the tables and furniture, located throughout the store. Vases, boxes, lamps, objet d'art - they really are spread out over the entire floor plan. So if you skipped the large furniture section on the way up, make sure you take a spin through the areas on your way back down.
- There is a dedicated "Englisch" book section, though it didn't hold anything to tempt me. ;)
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| My haul from the ZB. :) 20 Fr. |
Enjoy your visit to the Zürcher Brockenhaus!
TiZ
