Kreuzberg is full of hidden corners and new places to know, and I found a new one… well new at least for me.

I was walking in Görli area and found this cute little shop with many, many small things inside (that’s actually why I stopped, an old habit of mine!). Kultpur is the name of the place, founded by Johanna Gross, back in 2009.

The shop is quite cozy inside and even has a little café, perfect for having a quiet pause during the day. But, the most interesting thing is to walk around and find new little things in every corner, like a book titled Ost Trifft West (East Meets West) with illustrations about funny and interesting cultural differences, and some vegan Buddha bears next to each other.

As is clear from the shop, the owner Johanna highly values handcrafted and individual products, with emphasis on cooperation, fair and sustainable trade.

“My ambition is to represent handcrafted, unique products, also telling the stories and the background of the people who made them – this is the core of the curation of Kultpur”

Focusing more on Berlin and Brandenburg designers, Johanna has accumulated a very interesting mix of products.

Walking to the back of the shop you can find the ZEN clothing collection by designer Suzie Dong. Totally Berlin – all black style with blazers and jackets made out of fleece.

Then turning a bit around, there is Batata’s baby shirts, with a little joke between East and West Germany with the sayings “Junget Jemüse” or “Junges Gemüse”, all super cute and made out of bio cotton (plus the name in Portuguese means potatoes, how cute is that?).

Another unexpected product is the artwork from Berlin-based artist Claudia Speer. Japanese-styled calligraphy prints and paintings, also there because of the theme of this month, East Meets West.

Last but not least, jewelry designer Marekowa brings some effortlessly chic pieces to this very multikulti shop, working with thin metal lines and even using Christian iconography (but not in that tacky way we all are used to).

I was very intrigued by this creative and unusual selection of products, and asked Johanna what her background was.

“I studied sociology and then worked in the field of market research. So I think my educational background is somehow related to what I am doing now, but as Kultpur is a one-woman-show, for sure a lot of things I ended up learning by doing.”

“Also, my mum taught me to appreciate handcrafted works as she took me and my sister to a lot of courses when we were children. I guess this also comes from my family to appreciate these special little things.”

It did not surprise me that it was not fashion related at all. I believe no fashionista would put so many different things together and still make it work so good, as Johanna also shows twice a year at Showroom Days during Berlin Fashion Week.

“I also want to organize more and more creative/cultural events in which I invite guests to be part of. That’s how I think I can always keep things interesting!”

Kultpur
Muskauer Srt. 47
10997 Berlin

Note: the theme East Meets West goes on until 26^th of February.