Get off the beaten track to find some of Munich's best shops
Is Munich good for shopping or not? That depends where you look. Limit yourself to the city center and you’ll struggle to find anything other than cheap chains or exclusive boutiques. But, as soon as you extend your retail trawl, you’ll be amazed at what goodies there are on offer. To spare you hours pounding the streets, we’ve put together a special series on the various areas of the city and a guide to the top of their shops. This month: Glockenbachviertel.
Stray beyond the Viktualienmarkt, towards the Isar, and you’ll soon find yourself in the heart of one of Munich’s hippest quarters. As you’d expect from the city’s gay area, Glockenbach screams quirky and flamboyant, and is the perfect place to come to find a head-turning outfit.
A good place to start is the passage linking Fraunhoferstrasse to Klenze-strasse. As well as art:ig—a small beer garden and cult art shop with original work by alternative artists (Fraunhoferstrasse 11, Tel. 55 29 85 72)—you’ll find Spielbar Tragbar—a collection of shops selling records and fashion by Belgian and Nordic designers at extremely reasonable prices (Fraunhoferstrasse 11, Tel. 25 54 44 30, www.spielbartragbar.com). It’s the perfect couple shop—affordable designer numbers for her, cool sounds for him. While you’re there, take a peek in Serie A (Klenzestrasse 40, Tel. 26 01 90 55, www.serieastore.com). As well as clothes, this stocks plenty of gorgeous but totally unnecessary objects, such as travel journals with little pockets for all those bits you pick up on journeys, blank fuschia visiting cards—create a new, cool identity for yourself—and much more.
From here, head up Klenzestrasse towards Gärtnerplatz, calling in at Two in One (Klenzestrasse 39, Tel. 20 24 45 95, www.twoinone-muenchen.de), which, despite its name, is actually three in one, selling flowers, bits for the home and serving coffee and light bites. Indeed, shops in the Glockenbachviertel are leading the way in offering the full retail experience—even in those that don’t officially have a bar, it’s not uncommon to be offered an espresso or a glass of water as you browse. Once you’re at Gärtnerplatz, there are three shops in particular worth a look: Slips—a collection of clothes by designers such as Diane von Fürstenberg, Missoni and Christian Lacroix, and irresistable cosmetics by Fresh; Designerei—the perfect place to pick up some quirky presents, this shop stocks Side by Side design items, made by the disabled, and Morgantini—the place to come for Italian and Spanish shoes and Furla and Coccinelle handbags. A short detour up Reichenbachstrasse, towards town, will bring you to abovo (Rumfordstrasse 8, Tel. 26 01 80 00)—with home stuff and funky clothes—and Sunday in Bed (Rumfordstrasse 6, Tel. 28 78 75 16), an irresistable little shop with a gorgeous range of nightwear and other bits (cashmere bedsocks, hotwater bottles, stylish coffee table books) to make bedtime even more special.
Now head back towards Gärtnerplatz, along Corneliusstrasse, where you’ll come across Glatteis (Corneliusstrasse 31, Tel. 201 48 44, www.glatteis-krimi.de), a fascinating bookshop, devoted to crime and thrillers. There’s a good selection of English books available here and the store hosts regular readings by international authors. If you walk beyond Gärtnerplatz now, away from town, you’ll find yourself in what is a haven for vintage and second-hand stores. Check out the Aladdin’s caves of unique, reasonably priced second-hand delights—dresses, jewelry and, with a nod to the area’s gay traditions, feather boas in every color you could imagine. There’s more shopping/lifestyle going on at Sündhaft (Rei-chenbachstrasse 30, Tel. 12 02 74 85), where you can browse cosmetics over a cup of coffee. And don’t forget to pop in at Pomeroy and Winterbottom (Reichenbachstrasse 38, Tel. 201 69 01, www.pomeroy-winterbottom.de), for a taste of merry old England! A u-turn into Baaderstrasse will bring you to soda (Baaderstrasse 74, Tel. 20 24 53 53, www.sodabooks.com), an intriguing shop full of stylish international books and magazines, all focused on fashion and design. Turn back on yourself now, and cross Fraunhoferstrasse, heading for Hans-Sachs-Strasse, where you’ll find 7. Himmel (Hans-Sachs-Strasse 17, Tel. 26 70 53, www.siebterhimmel.com)—a cult fashion shop—and Eisenblätter Triska—a gorgeous hat shop (Hans-Sachs-Strasse 13, Tel. 260 58 60, www.eisenblaetter-triska.de). Continue along Westermühlstrasse and Holzstrasse to yet another coffee bar/shop, Reisebar (Holzstrasse 19, Tel. 55 06 22 44, www.reise-bar.de). Sip a tall latte as you muse over the selection of travel brochures. But don’t splurge all your cash. Make sure you save some for our final stop—Condo (Pestalozzistrasse 34, Tel. 26 01 86 66, www.condo-myplayground.com). If you’re after an unusual gift, a quirky treat for yourself or some funky kids’ clothes, this is the place. Most products are sourced from local artists and are manufactured “with a conscience,” that’s to say, they’re not mass-produced and don’t support third-world labor. The kids’ T-shirts, designed by shop owner Ruth Weller herself, are adorably edgy, featuring pictures of the Ramones, The Clash, Patsy Cline and the like. Full of attitude, in fact—much like all the shops in an area that no serious shopper should leave unexplored.
