Our favourite thrift stores

The Bärner Brocki in the Lorraine neighbourhood is a large, professionally run department store. Not only is it extremely well organized, but the fixed prices are also very fair. Experienced bargain hunters start their visit at the shelves with the new goods to find the best treasures before treating themselves to some coffee and cake at the Brocki’s in-house café «zytlos». The Bärner Brocki is also an exemplary social institution: guests are mainly served by people who are in work reintegration programmes. And there are seasonal activities that contribute to a lively neighbourhood, such as pumpkin sales or the «Lädele u Raclette» (shopping and raclette) event.

Behind a nondescript facade at 1 Seftigenstrasse near Eigerplatz lies a true mecca for design fans. It is filled to the brim with well-preserved furniture and other objects from the 1960s and 1970s, from Horgenglarus classics to eclectic toys to neon signs from old post offices. If you’re on a budget, there’s also a section with more inexpensive treasures. Owner Oliver Kathriner is happy to help his customers find what they’re looking for. And if you need help getting your new gem home, he can deliver it to your doorstep with his moving truck – very practical! There’s also a small but stylish second-hand clothing store amidst all the furniture.

The gems distributed over the 500 m² of the Swiss Broc Brocante are carefully selected and arranged, which makes browsing the shop a very pleasant experience. From ornate gold mirrors to fondue pots to antique walking canes – you’ll be able to tick anything off your shopping list. The lower floor is home to many a pretty antique, discovered by the Brocki’s owners on their annual trips to France. By the way: A fixed portion of the monthly income is donated to the Sunshine Kiev Kids Foundation in Ukraine. One more reason to visit this Brocki!

If you only take a quick peek inside the Blue Cross’ Brocki on Loryplatz, you might be fooled: at first glance, it seems as if there are mainly household items, but further back there is a large selection of paintings and textiles – and a respectable collection of furniture in the basement. Browsing this thrift shop is a lot of fun because the things are not perfectly sorted – keep your eyes wide open for gems! And the prices are very fair. Good to know: Here, too, every purchase supports a good cause. The Blue Cross uses the profits to finance its prevention, counselling, and integration services.

This thrift shop is hard to overlook (its name, «pink thrift shop», says it all – the building really is very pink), but because it’s not on a main road, you can still shop in peace. The «thrift store groove» is strong here, as the space is overflowing with things. Keep your eyes open and don’t be afraid to dig through a box or two to find hidden treasures – a great challenge for true thrift shop fans! Not all items are in mint condition, but that’s OK: if you’re friendly and go about it right, the likeable owner is open to some bargaining. Pro tip for students: If you show your student ID, you’ll receive a discount!

The Bümpliz area probably has more thrift shops than any other region in the city of Bern, and the Hiob thrift shop is at the heart of it all. You can find pretty much anything in the huge space – there’s everything from funky furniture from the 1960s to a wide array of sporting equipment. Or maybe you’re looking for colourful second-hand clothes or a complete porcelain tableware set? The variety is what makes this thrift shop special – you could easily furnish and equip an entire house with things found just here.

At the Kleines Bröckli («little thrift shop»), Myriam Jebli has created a space for lovers of the shabby chic style. The likeable owner regularly travels to France and brings back elegant pieces to Bern’s Lorraine neighbourhood, or restores and styles discovered treasures herself. Prettily arranged decorative objects and tableware make the furniture stand out even more. Antique mirrors and chests of drawers are displayed in a small adjacent room, but you can also find modern design classics. As the name with the diminutive «-li» suggests, the Bröckli is a smaller store, so it’s worth stopping by regularly.

We’ve finally found a new home for all the books that we’ve already read but would feel bad throwing out: the Bücher-Brockenhaus. Bookworms will find mountains of reading material at this second-hand bookstore. The staff is competent and friendly, the prices reasonable, and the books neatly sorted by subject. In the Kinder-Bücherland, the children’s books section, countless picture books, children’s books and books for young adults await. And in Ali Baba’s book den, books cost just 2 francs apiece. Once you set foot into the Bücherbrocki, it’s easy to lose track of time!

There are of course countless other thrift shops in Bern. If by now you’re anxious to start thrift shopping, here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of additional Brockis.

• Interbroc Lanzenhäusern

• Hiob International Breitenrain neighbourhood

• Hiob Brocki Worblaufen

• Im Quadrat Zollikofen

• Aare Fundgrube Monbijou neighbourhood

• Eigerplatz Brocki Eigerplatz

• Monbijou Brocante Monbijou neighbourhood

• Bücher Brocky Länggasse neighbourhood

• La trouvaille Münsingen and Bern’s Old Town

• Emmaüs Brockenhaus Bümpliz

• Heilsarmee Brocki (Salvation Army thrift shop), Bern-Bethlehem

• Brockenreich Köniz