Last Saturday, I finally ventured into this place to check out what a Swiss thrift store looks like. This place is HUGE... and filled with junk. Racks and racks of old paintings, linens, clothes, books, dishes, pots, pans, old electronics, xmas decorations, lamps, etc. All covered in dust and giving off the same musty smell. Ick. It's amazing the kind of stuff they have for sale--Chinese soup spoons, archaic sewing machines, VHS players, diving flippers, plastic cups and aluminum foil?! (Now, really--who's going to buy plastic cutlery from a thrift store?!) My bf was excited about discovering the motherload of escargot tongs and what looked like the first Playstation ever invented, while I was marveling at the evolution of raclette machines running down the aisle. Prices for some of the more decent things were comparable to those at IKEA, so I guess I would rather buy a new set of dishes than pay the same amount for some used ones. Remarkably, there were lots of people browsing with bags in hand, so I suppose they were seriously hunting for treasures. Although it was kind of interesting to browse around once, I don't think I'm really a thrift store person. But this is your cup of tea, then you might want to visit this massive place. read more

To find Brocki-Land you have to walk in a driveway between the related Antique store in front and another building. As you exit the driveway you come to a large "plaza". You will then notice to your left the entrance to a Subterranean Parking garage. "Hey-why didn't I park my car in the garage", you may ask. Well...the reason is is that the store is IN THE PARKING GARAGE! Yes, no cars are allowed because the garage has been turned into a Thrift Store (or Brocki or Brockenhaus). And not just any thrift store but a three floor thrift WAREHOUSE!! Tons of stuff (not many clothes, though). Thousands of books (separated into different Languages). thousands of record albums and a lot of 45's, and hundreds of paintings! Tons of kitchen ware-mugs, bowls, glasses, BEER STEINS, and then I came across the Fondue Plates-THOUSANDS OF THEM! Upstairs we found tons of most everything, raclette makers and fondue pots were very common! We saw nothing with prices on them. Sure, occasionally there were price sheets in German with some prices, but since reading German is not my strong point, we blindly took our purchases to the register and found out that almost everything we got was a Dollar each or less! Wow, tons of stuff and cheap , too. I love this place!! read more