
For many years Doris Heil has been running her kiosk Heil Quelle (which means mineral springs, a word play) on Pannierstrasse. This shop was among the first in Berlin to carry The Weekender. Recently she found a hardware store nearby and decided to take over it. Now Doris’ kiosk has become the most curious and charming of all in Neukölln, if not the whole of Berlin. Next to brushes, packing tapes and fuses, customers will find international magazines and newspapers. You can chat with the boss if you have time, though beer or tobacco products will become obligatory in that case. Doris sees her unique selection of magazines as her selling point, since her competitors mostly sell “the average junk”. But what about the future? “I’ll just continue as the handyman’s kiosk/general supply corner shop,” Doris says, and happily gets back to transforming her new location into the institution that Heil Quelle has become over the years. (Photos: Tobias Faisst)
Heil Quelle, Pannierstr.58, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln; map
open daily until 20h, Sat until 16h