Zeitkonserven - Frankfurter Traditionsgeschäfte

A concern of the CoCon publishing house is to encourage readers with its publications to roam through the region with open eyes and to discover the many sometimes hidden specialties and beauties that our surrounding area has to offer. However, this should not be limited to excursions and hikes or to stopping off at special gastronomic establishments. When shopping, it is also worthwhile to stroll attentively through the city. This is particularly interesting in Frankfurt, as in addition to the many modern shopping temples there is still a small subculture of traditional shops that are of immense importance for the special character of the Main metropolis.

Such shops are the subject of the book "Zeitkonserven - Frankfurter Traditionsgeschäfte". The journalist Julia Söhngen and photographer Harald Schröder portray thirty traditional Frankfurt shops in their work, in which time sometimes seems to have stood still. Here, customers are not quickly dispatched; customer proximity, quality and advice still count. Whether at Samen Andreas, the city's "green thumb," at Spielwaren Meder on Berger Strasse, between the shelves of Töpferei Maurer filled with all kinds of Bembeln, or during a visit to Wackers Kaffee on Kornmarkt, the book captures the atmosphere of the traditional shops honestly and charmingly. This is especially evident when the reader has his or her own experiences with each locale. Such as the experience of being a customer in Klaus Becher's charming grocery store. Even when the little shop is full to bursting with students and business people, one is always greeted in a friendly manner, individual wishes are patiently accepted and there is always time for a few kind words. The texts by Julia Söhngen and the pictures by Harald Schröder, which dispense with grandiose staging, capture precisely this endearing atmosphere very well.

"Zeitkonserven - Frankfurter Traditionsgeschäfte" is a wonderful book that exudes a touch of nostalgia, but also wistfulness, especially at a time when the cityscape is changing so quickly and drastically, as is the case at the moment. The fact alone that one of the shops portrayed here (the Burg Drogerie in the Nordend) had to close before the book was published shows that shops like these belong to a dying species, with which a city like Frankfurt also loses a piece of its own identity. Even if modern shopping temples like myZeil do have a certain charm, they do not make up the individual character of a city. It is the corners where time somehow seems to have stood still, which have so far been able to successfully evade the rapid process of change, which shape the cityscape with their unspoilt charm and adherence to tradition.

The book allows the reader a glimpse of this sometimes very hidden side of the city. And when one walks through the city, after extensive browsing in the book, one takes more conscious notice of the small relics, the hidden or inconspicuous shops. And that is exactly what this book - apart from its high entertainment and nostalgia value - should trigger in the reader: the desire to visit these and other traditional shops once in a while, to experience the atmosphere hinted at in the book for oneself, and perhaps to contribute something to the preservation of these time preserves for a long time to come! And that is exactly what makes this beautifully designed book absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp