Some bookshops feel as if they are part of a story themselves. Pfeife in Schöneberg is one of them. The small bookshop in Nollendorfkiez, close to Winterfeldplatz, is a community meeting point and a source of inspiration. People cross paths, discover new things, and stay longer than planned. It specializes in books that are as enjoyable to look at as they are to read. From picture books for children to graphic novels for adults, with a particular focus on diverse perspectives. The selection is constantly changing, with new releases and independent publishers next to rediscovered classics. Among the books you’ll find additional protagonists: expressive metal animals from Zimbabwe, selected by Annie Akinyi-Jaeger and brought to Berlin, stand alongside exceptional ceramic works by Evelyn Klam, who has been working from her own studio in Berlin since 1976. Colorful risograph prints by Sarah Lauener and Johanna Schulte, bags by Hänska from Charlottenburg, and an ever-changing selection of finds by artists and designers from the neighborhood all add to the mix. Overall, Pfeife feels more like a curated living room than a conventional bookshop. Visitors can create their own reading card to borrow books from the lending shelf or read them on the sofa or on seating objects by artist Raby Florence Fofana. Readings, workshops, and book launches take place regularly. And because the best stories are told at night, the moon hovers above it all, as a collection of round 1970s lamps and glow-in-the-dark, moon-shaped wall book holders, designed by the owner and available in the shop on request. This picture-book story deserves to be told.
Text: Charlotte Landwehr / Photos: Isabelle Marten, Pfeife
Charlotte Landwehr has been working in cultural communications in Berlin for almost ten years, but originally comes from literary studies. Her favorite places have one thing in common: the presence of books.
Buchhandlung Pfeife, Winterfeldtstr.54, 10781 Berlin–Schöneberg; map
