To me a custom-made suit was always something that I would never be able to afford. When I got to know Rotknopf (=red button) in Vienna, I was taught better. The shop with its charming interiors offers custom-made suits at an affordable price. The suits are tailored in India and fit in the shop in Vienna’s Lindengasse.

The idea for the business came to Oliver out of frustration. Back in the days when he was working in an international auditing company in Bratislava he had to wear a suit every day. He wanted to get an olive-green suit in a modern style at a good price. But none was available, neither in Bratislava nor in Vienna.

Shortly afterwards a friend of Oliver who was working in the Austrian Trade Commission in Delhi told him the price, that a custom-made suit cost in India. Almost at the same Oliver’s girlfriend Pola wanted to do an internship in India. Oliver interpreted the signs and the business idea was born. He took advantage of the international network of his employer and got a job in India.

There he worked on his business plan, created contacts and had some suits custom-tailored in order to find the right partner. Oliver was looking for a taylor who pays attention to smallest details, who is willing to learn and who has sufficient capacity. On his search Oliver had to overcome some cultural obstacles: “In India time has a different importance than in Europe. If I deliver one suit late in my shop, it can happen, but if I deliver 50 suits late in my shop, I have a problem.”

After 22 months he had the contacts and the cultural competence to get things done. Back in Europe he planned on working as an auditor again for some months in order so save some start-up capital. But his girlfriend had different plans: She faced Oliver with a tough choice: Either he realizes the plans he worked so hard for immediately or she would break up.

Today Oliver is happy, that Pola forced him to start the business. “Many people around me had doubts and advised me to avoid the risk. You have everything ready and then you lack the courage to realize it. I needed one person to give me a push.” Oliver and Pola are now married and expecting their first child.

www.rotknopf.at

In the lovely neighborhood of Vienna’s 7th distict Mandarinas shop shines out with its pink storefront. When you enter the small boutique you will find a fine selection of women designer clothes presented within a reduced and stylish interior. Six years ago Mandarina opened her shop, selling just t-shirts with stencil prints and political statements. With her background in graphic design she was able to give the shop an amazing look.

With time the shop concept changed from streetwear into women’s designer clothes. Mandarina offers her own designs and productions as well as those from other designers. Every once in a while there are special exhibitions showing e.g. bridal dresses from international designers.

The original store was only half of today’s size. After some years she took the opportunity and extended the location by the shop next door. Besides additional show room, Mandarina now has a place within the shop to design her own pieces. “In the small shop I didn’t have the space to work on my products. When you have to stay in the shop all day, there is hardly any time for something else at home. Today I can go back and work, when there’s nothing going on.“

www.thehotdogs.org

As a kid that grew up in the 80s I was a proud owner of some handheld games. You can’t describe the pleasure I felt, when I entered the subotron shop in Vienna’s Museumsquartier for the first time a couple of years ago. Jogi Neufeld created a little time warp into the 80s that makes my digital heart beat faster. „It’s about the thing, not about me.” with this statement Jogi refuses to appear without mask on the picutures. Some call it shy, I call it real.

Back in his childhood Jogi was amazed by navigating two lines on a two-colored screen in order to hunt a flying dot. Years later he found the legendary Nintendo handheld “Donkey Kong” on a flea market. With interest in history and design as well as some retro-passion coming up Jogi started to buy any piece he could find: “My ruin was when ebay arrived”. Soon his apartment became to small for his treasures.

Without any kind of business plan, Jogi talked to the curator of the Quartier 21 and made a proposal. The curator liked it and that was the start of the subotron shop in 2004. “I had to get some other stuff like literature and t-shirts, because in the beginning I didn’t want to sell any part of my collection. But I had to learn it in order to pay the rent.” Besides the consoles the shop offers textiles, literature, music, street art, and gadgets from around the world.

Jogi sees his shop as a kind of public office. Subotron is much more than just a second hand shop for handhelds. It’s a movement for establishing the cultural value of digital games. Jogi organizes lectures, workshops, exhibitions and concerts. One famous example: street artist “Invader” (you should know him from Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop) was invited as artist in residence in 2006 and distributed his artwork all over Vienna. One of his pieces is placed just beside the shop. Also he designed the bridge that leads from the Museumsquartier into the Breite Gasse.

Here are some amazing parts of Jogis collection. Enjoy design and name-giving at its finest:

www.subotron.at

For those who love the Brothers Grimm: Goldmari is the german name of the Golden Girl in the tale of Mother Hulda. When you enter the Goldmari-shop you might feel a little bit like in a tale. Strange animals sitting around, delicacies like in the Schlauraffen Land and a kind of mystique atmosphere. For three years Marion has been putting many of her personal dreams into this shop, which still remains a secret spot. Anybody who is looking for a small gift probably won’t leave this shop with empty hands. And those who do, have this magic smile.

A couple of years ago Marion started to sell self made delicacies at home. More and more people she didn’t even know were coming into her home, so she decided to look for a shop. Before Marion opened her first shop she figured out that selling only delicacies won’t cover the costs. Besides fine food Marion also loves to decorate interiors, so she included decoration and interior accessories in her range.

Her first location was a very lovely but desperate place. The rooms were old vaults and the front door had to be opened with a huge key. A year later Marion moved into another location with a higher customer frequency  but still a lot of charme. The ambience of a shop means a lot to Marion: „The most important thing to me is that the location has got charme. Already the walls can make a statement. In a random shop in a mall, I don’t feel anything.”

Marion cares a lot about the quality and the look of her delicacies: „To me tasting is more important than stuffing.“ Only regional producers are chosen. The designs are simple and inventive. Here are some of Marion’s creations :

Chocolate with messages in austrian dialect

Pear ginger chutney

Gingerbread hearts with SMS-language

In the future delicacies shall play a more important role. By serving food and drinks, Marion wants to bring more ‘everyday life’ into her shop.  But before people can enjoy her culinary art in the lovely ambience of her shop, some bureaucratic hurdles have to be overcome.

10 % off, if you buy an umbrella on a sunny day.

www.goldmari.at

Some time ago, I used to play Poker with Bernhard regularly. He turned out to be a straightforward player: when he bets, he’s usually holding a good hand. When he opened his shop “The Genuine” three years ago, he went all-in.

After working in a mobile-company for four years he was fed up of wearing ties and suits. He took half a year off and asked himself some serious questions about his future life. The answer to most of these questions was the Genuine. On 9/11 he opened the Genuine in a 45 m2 location, spending days and night working there. Two years later he moved into a new spot on the other side of the street with three times more space.

Since ever fashion has been a big part of his life. A couple of years before, he has worked in a skateshop in exactly the same location. From there he brought a solid base of knowhow as well as some good contacts to the industry.

Bernhard tried to establish an authentic style in his shop by using refurnished cupboards and some creative display Ideas. You can find a bit of reality in every corner. The background of his shoe rack is the barcode of his shop name. Some of the cupboards are more than 100 years old.

Whenever I walk over to him for a little chat, he always finds time to share his latest sneaker orders or some inside gossip. The brands in the shop are carefully chosen and Bernhard doesn’t care much about fashion hypes but on brands with a solid background and a real message.

But a small city like Linz makes it hard for you to survive only by selling unknown brands.  Bernhard summarizes: “What you want to sell, and what the customers buy, are two different stories. In former days the shopkeeper was the one to decide what’s cool to be worn. Today the kids come over and tell you, what you must have. The internet makes everything possible and everything available. This puts much pressure on retailers like me. If you try to escape the system, you need a long breathe.”

For this, keep on breathing and stay genuine!

www.thegenuine.at