Brooklyn has been doing it since about 2005 however the difference is that they do it more of an industrial scale to sell online qaned top other retailers. Commercial rent is too expensive in Brooklyn to do it on the retail side. I think the a special thing about what's going on in Germany is that the rent must be affordable even in high foot-traffic areas for them to do this.
The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
141–150 of 172 posts
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#142Several hyper-specialist shops I know in Munich: - balloon shops seem to do really well because we have several here and every major city seems to have one - foam shop for when you need to fix your upholstery - venetian blind store which only sells the vertical kind - Ketten Wild was a chain shop that only sold chains but chains in all forms and sizes - la porcelaine blanche's slogan is "only china, only white" and t…
Where do you go when you want to buy name brand spatulas at a fraction of retail cost? Spatula City! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XbCWmY0eqY
I was wondering when Gandhi II would show up there...
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#143Hyper-specialization is everywhere if you ever step into any Asian country. Indians even have last names based on their hyper-specialized occupation. I was in Thailand and I saw a tiny shop whose only job was to take old torn notes and exchange it for a new one by charging a small flat fee. I had an Indian friend that told me that specializations in old cities was also geographically organized. One part of street wou…
For a US example of this, see the Patel Motel Cartel (https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/04/magazine/a-patel-motel-ca...)
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#144Several hyper-specialist shops I know in Munich: - balloon shops seem to do really well because we have several here and every major city seems to have one - foam shop for when you need to fix your upholstery - venetian blind store which only sells the vertical kind - Ketten Wild was a chain shop that only sold chains but chains in all forms and sizes - la porcelaine blanche's slogan is "only china, only white" and t…
My ignorant understanding from consuming American pop culture is that Germans have a particular affinity for art in the medium of gummy :) https://youtu.be/T-2VGJPOJVA
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow this web site is like we're back in 1996. Love it. Reminded me how simple was the web back then.
Very usable and simple web design with obvious blue links and clearly defined content areas. Everything but the header/footer navigation is great, including the logical street-based interior navigation. The HTML source is a mix of old / new HTML, which shows the author has been updating by hand for years and improved their skill (slightly).
A great submission for my subreddit :) https://old.reddit.com/r/SpartanWeb/comments/bjmkqp/edinphot...
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#146Is anyone else failing to see a legitimate need for sticky tape in tens of different colours? What about the shopping experience of the future, when such shops are destined to be the "future of retail"? Suddenly you are now spending an hour choosing between balloons of different shapes and colours or the perfectly matching button for your shirt. It's an illusion of choice, fueling pointless production of variations o…
My experience of such stores is just the opposite. When I don't care what kind of I get, I just go to the supermarket or buy whatever is cheap on ebay. The choice takes a couple of minutes.
When I go to a specialist store, which I do every so often, my choice has been made before I walk in. That's why I'm there; because I already know what I want, and I know that I can't find what I want in the supermarket or by trawling eBay. I'm just hoping the specialist store has it or can get it. I spend less time choosing in the specialist store.
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#147Surely the obvious question is: is the high street shop really a justified expense? Surely all the sales are online? The more specialized the shop, the less one can hope to fulfill ones sales volume from people in physical cruising distance. The article doesn’t seem to address this, except for acknowledging that most sales are online.
If you're in an area where the postman (or any delivery service) sucks, online shopping becomes a hassle.
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I clean it by putting bleach in the bowl But if your neighbors flush vinegar down the toilet, it will react into chlorine in the sewer.
What does vinegar + bleach do exactly? It sounds like something I don't want to try at home.
It's a good thing. Bleach by itself is an inefficient disinfectant. You need a lot, which is wasteful. Adding a bit of vinegar to change the pH will make the chlorine much more available for disinfecting.
I used to keep a bottle pre-mixed. It won't last very long though, so mixing before use is better.
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#149In Dublin, there was a shop that mostly just sold yeast until recently: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property...
It always looked closed; I walked past it for a decade or so every day without realising that it was still in business.
And then there’s the top floor of Stephens Green shopping center, which mostly just contains very strange specialised shops, with no visible customers.
Re: The hyper-specialist shops of Berlin
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even the 75000 inhabitant city I live in has a balloon shop, but also one for brushes. Also in the neighboring city there used to be a shop just for rubber.
I imagine the margins for balloon shops incredibly good.
Are you suggesting the prices are inflated?