Remar Brockenhaus (Z.-Altstetten)

Hot off the press (and boy, is it hot today!), a review of Remar Brockenhaus on Badenerstrasse in Altstetten.

Location: Badenerstrasse 731; Tram line 2, between Farbhof and Bachmattstrasse stops. Or, a short walk (5 min.) from Lindenplatz.

I've already got a favourite brocki in the Altstetten area (Arche Brockenhaus), so I was excited to see how the new kid on the block would compare. It seems as if it has just opened in the past month - I wondered if it would have much stock, and of what quality and selection.

When I arrived, I think there might have been only 2 or 3 other patrons in the whole store, which is large (2 levels). There were only 3 plastic shopping baskets to use, but in the beginning, I was just out to take photos and orient myself.

As you know, stock changes dramatically at brockis, but I still think pictures say a thousand words. So I took a few.  

Nope. Skip.

I think a local hostel must've gone broke, judging by the number of matching metal-framed bunk beds! Army barracks?

I had to talk myself out of buying all the pyrex. And the cute set on the left. Tempting!

A wooden trunk for 60.-

Here's the summary:

Pros:

• LOTS of furniture, especially bed frames (metal bunk beds - maybe a hostel somewhere closed?), sideboards and curio-cabinets.
• Good selection of plates, bowls and dishes - lots of vintage pyrex!
• Set-up makes for (potentially) nice displays and pleasant browsing 
• They put a lot of stuff outside on the sidewalk in nice weather, and that makes browsing pleasant and airy!
• Friendly staff (100% male, when I went: 4 employees! Unusual, eh?), working hard
• An eclectic mix of things: a box full of unfinished animal horns and hooves; mystery equipment and tools from olden times; a full set of 1950s pyrex dishes (to feed an army!); jewel-beset ceremonial knives from the near east; many black and white etchings of Swiss towns and cities (unframed); a Hello Kitty radio-alarm clock; some expensive antique furniture; a fancy, electronically operated multi-direction shower cubicle (new, or very nearly!); a pile of Persian rugs; vintage wooden sleds, and some very ugly (very funny) Schlager- and Polka vinyl records, with hilarious jackets.

Cons:

• No receipts issued, and my 'total' was summed up as a single figure on a Post-it note. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to haggle, but I didn't need to (reasonable), and I like supporting charity organizations anyway.
• Lime green walls. Ugh.
• Clothing was... I didn't even look at it. It was that bad, and there wasn't a lot of it.
• Shoes were very worn, every pair. Too worn. There were lots, but they were in rough shape.
• There weren't any good accessories or jewelry or anything of the like, but there's space for such future offerings.
• The window displays, fashion mannequins and even the furniture displays looked as if they were assembled by men. Heterosexual men. Men with absolutely no sense of style. I appreciated the effort, but it was almost comical, the 'outfits' they strung together. Needs a little style help!
• A few 'growing pains' here and there (clothing hard to access, but didn't want to; no receipts; some furniture aisles were blocked, so was a bit of a maze to get out of the display area again, etc.), but I think they'll get it sorted in the end.

Tips:

• When the man explained the pricing of my purchase to me, the biggest thing cost 10 Fr., and the 4 other smaller things all got thrown under a price of 5 Fr. (see an upcoming post for what I bought, but it was all candle holders and a table runner, for reference). Maybe there's a better deal to be had when you buy multiples?
• He knew how big the table runner was while it was still neatly folded in its original package (and buried under a bunch of prints). Obviously there's a lot of care in their work. I like that. :)
• Watch your basket! I was one of only a couple of shoppers (at most!), and I already had an old lady materialize out of nowhere, snooping in my basket when I had my back turned! She beetled off when I whirled around, but... yeah. Shelves and shelves and aisles and aisles, and she's looking in my basket! Crazies are here, too.
• "Mr Antonio de Santis" has a Brockenhaus right next door, open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 17:30.... and it was closed at 14:30 on a Thursday. I don't think it's been opened for quite some time, judging by the dinginess of it and the weird signs (sale? Unrelated sale? Something else?) posted on the windows. I had been meaning to come here to check it out independently, and I'm glad I didn't make a dedicated trip! But check it out, just in case Mr. A. d. S. is around. Interesting (bizarre) assortment of 'stuff' (mostly lamps, curios, vintage telephones, etc., that I could see through the window. A couple of unpraiseworthy chandeliers, too). There was a 2 Fr. strand of faux pearls I would have tried, given the chance. Ah well.

  
So, all in all, Remar's not a bad place to swing by! Especially if you're in need of some larger furniture... or a deluxe, built-in, multi-headed shower (how did that get there?!).  

Stay thrifty, friends!
TiZ