Shops that take the hassle out of gift shopping
Old-fashioned shop windows filled with beautiful, handmade objects, streets aglow with Christmas lights, houses lightly dusted with snow and rosy-cheeked families laden with gifts—isn’t this how we would like Christmas shopping to be, rather than a frantic rush around crowded department stores on December 23? Well, there may be no guarantee of snow, or for that matter rosy cheeks, but if you are looking for attractive locations selling unique and interesting Christmas gifts, Munich has plenty to offer.“How about a winged end-of-the- year figurine?” says Sigrid Dörner, smiling mischievously and holding out a tiny wooden angel with green spotted wings from the famous Wendt and Kühn workshops in Saxonia. “That’s what they used to be called in the GDR when references to religious occasions were banned,” she adds by way of explanation. Dörner is the jovial—and highly knowledgeable—owner of Münchner Romantix’s (Pfisterstrasse 6, Tel. [089] 290 40 91), a shop selling thousands of traditional German decorations, toys and collector’s items. Here, in this tiny shop tucked away in a side street of Munich’s old town, rows of brightly painted nutcrackers and “smokers” (hollow wooden figures that puff out smoke from incense sticks hidden in their interior) gaze down at customers from aloft, glossy, wooden music boxes decorated with birthday and Christmas tableaux wait to be wound up and filigree, pewter miniatures (produced locally at Diessen on the Ammersee) sway gently to and fro on their bright satin ribbons when the shop door swings open. Dörner and her husband, who have been running the shop for eight years, are happy to show and explain their products to curious customers. Never mind if you wish to purchase beer mats decorated with historic Bavarian sights for a few euros or a cuckoo clock costing close to a king’s ransom, you can expect to come away from Münchner Romatix’s with a gift that has been fun to purchase and will be a pleasure to give.
German toys are rightly considered to be among the best in the world and the best of these can be bought at Das Kinderzimmer (Kurfürstenstrasse 55, Tel. [089] 271 68 00). Forty years ago the architect Tomas Gremmler discovered a gap in the market when he tried to purchase high-quality, educational toys for his children. So the highly practical Mr. Gremmler decided to remedy the situation by setting up shop in Schwabing and since then has been selling children’s books, toys and furniture that are a cut above what is sold in the average toy shop. Brio train sets, wooden figures by Ostheimer and covetable dolls created by Munich artist Elizabeth Pongraz are just some of the products on offer here. Members of the Gremmler family who work in the shop and take considerable trouble with each customer advise parents on suitable games and playthings and in the meantime their offspring can rummage through a table of inexpensive knick-knacks that are the only concession to mass-market products on the premises. For parents starting from scratch Das Kinderzimmer even sells its own range of children’s bedroom furniture. Sturdy but imaginatively designed beds, desks and chairs are produced in the company’s own workshop and as Gremmler senior is keen to point out, every spare part can be replaced, even if the original was made 40 years ago.
If you prefer to give handmade gifts or are a little short of cash then Johanna Daimer e. K. Filze aller Art (Dienerstrasse, im Rathaus, Tel. [089] 77 69 84) is the place to go for Christmas shopping. Bolts of garish colored felt are stacked high along the walls of this tiny shop and the tables are covered with squares of fabric in every thickness that can be used to make bags, slippers, decorations and fancy-dress costumes. Set in the arcades of the Rathaus opposite Ludwig Beck’s store, Daimer has been around since 1883 and, whereas other fabric and handicraft shops have had to close down in the face of cheap mass-produced merchandise, this shop is still going strong. In fact, it is often so crowded that queues of customers stretch out into the street. Nonetheless unflustered staff are happy to advise felt novices on what to buy and to help anyone who brings along a pattern or picture to copy. There are always samples of felt objects dotted around the shop—the square shopping bags in jewel colors are a perennial favorite—which will help customers who are looking for inspiration.
Whichever of these shops you may choose to visit, even if you have no need or desire to buy gifts, you will find yourself entranced by their friendly service and old-world charm.
