Projektschmiede Second Hand Wonderland

Last Friday, in my 5 under €5 post, I mentioned my new favourite second hand shop. Anyone who is a regular reader will know that 

anything old is my kind of thing. So, finding a new place where I can look at and buy old stuff is always a good thing. 

Projektschmiede in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany is not so much a shop as a warehouse. We have been in Rothenburg dozens of times over the past ten years but never noticed Projektschmiede until the weekend before last when we were in town to watch our nephew in a football tournament. 

Now, I am not a sports fan but I have never been happier to have been to a football match than I was that day! Having spotted the warehouse while stopped at the lights on the way to the sports hall, I waited till a gap in matches and snuck off with Number Three to check out Projektschmiede.

Before I even got in the door of the place, I was thrilled. Outside the entrance was shelf upon shelf of jars in all shapes and sizes. But when I turned around and saw all these plant pot holders arranged by colour, I knew I had found a special place.
  

Inside I was not disappointed. First of all, there was the building itself - huge arched windows letting in tons of natural light, a red brick vaulted ceiling and a maze of rooms. 

In the first couple of rooms the walls are lined with white shelving stacked with china and glassware of all kinds. From soup tureens to serving platters, sherry glasses to dinner plates, it is all there. 

I didn't buy this cute little tea set but I wish I had. €5! A steal.

There were more glasses than I have ever seen before in one place, and such pretty ones. I am definitely going to back. I simply could not decide which ones to buy.  

What I really liked about the place was that the staff seemed to enjoy working there and they cared about the way the goods were displayed. Just look at this coffee pot display. (I admit the photo is not the best, but I had a toddler struggling to get off my hip as I took it). 

The next room was bursting with furniture - a whole mix of stuff, a lot of it not my taste. But there were a few really nice pieces with potential - these wardrobes, a set of chairs with woven ratten backs (€24 each), a set of bedside lockers (€40 each).

There was even one room of toys, which included this gorgeous cot. It is actually a baby cot rather than a toy and, while the veneer was damaged in a few places, it had beautiful paintwork. €28 is all it cost. I had a difficult time not buying it, I can tell you. 

The book section was laid out like a library with aisles of shelves stuffed with books, sorted properly into categories. There was even a wood-burning stove lit to cosy the place up!

This bookshelf caught my eye. I can imagine that a few coats of chalk paint in a smokey blue-grey, it could be beautiful.

I am so pleased to have come across this place and am going to have to set aside a little budget for my next visit. 

Fionnuala's February Five For A Fiver Friday

...or 'How Many Fs Can You Put In A Blog Post Title'.

I have made a few really lovely purchases over the last week or so and that has motivated me to join in with Julia from Rainbeaubelle's linky 5 under 5. I'm working with Euro rather than GBP but the idea is the same.

So, here are my five:

A glass jar for holding bits and bobs, candles or for use as a vase, €1.50

Intricately painted real eggs, 80 cent each

A tea set for four, €5.00

Tulips, €1.98

A baking book, free in exchange for baking a cake

The glass jar, the eggs and the tea set were all finds from my latest discovery - a second hand warehouse not far from where my in-laws live. 

How I hadn't noticed it before, I do no know. Apparently it has been there for 18 years, but it seems to be a well kept secret. I have a feeling I will be a regular visitor.

The tulips were a treat to myself when doing the grocery shopping on Saturday. I adore tulips. They are one of my very favourite flowers and, at this time of year, I often buy myself a bunch as a little reward for doing the grocery shopping. 

The baking book - 1 Dough, 50 Cakes - was a present from our wonderful local independent bookshop. Every year the shop holds a bake sale in aid of a local charity. To encourage us to bake (as if I needed encouragement!), the shop offers a small range of baking books in exchange for a cake donation. I have taken part the last couple of years. I find it a really nice idea.

  

I've baked a few tray bakes from this book already (photos below) and they worked out perfectly. Tomorrow I will be handing over my cake donation and buying a few slices from the range on offer. I may even make tea in my new tea set to go with them.