The two temple umbrellas, for many years a trademark of the gift boutique Nima in Frankfurt's north end, have disappeared. A modern umbrella in front of the shop window now signals: Attention, shop is open.

This is advisable in a residential area such as Koselstrasse, which branches off from Eckenheimer Landstrasse.

The boutique has been around for a good 15 years, now visible on Instagram and Facebook, but without an online shop.

Petra Kirchhoff

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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"You have to see our stuff and be inspired," says Corinna Bernhart, who has worked at Nima for many years.

At the beginning of 2020, just before the first corona lockdown, she took over the business - bad timing.

In the meantime, the regular customers have returned, including many families from the neighborhood with a taste for beautiful things and a “benevolent wallet”, as the retailer describes it.

You know each other.

Wide assortment

Nima has a wide range - she sells jewelry, porcelain, scarves, socks, toys, carpets, candles, stationery, cards, children's books, delicatessen, among other things - but never goes into depth.

The store is broadest for the stuffed animal figures from the Danish brand Maileg, for which there are also dolls' houses with lots of details.

The play dolls are very durable and can be added to again and again, says Bernhart.

Jewelery is more expensive in gold (Wild Fawn) and cheaper in gold-plated silver (Muja Juma), which makes a price difference of almost one hundred euros for a fine necklace.

The customer doesn't immediately discover everything that's nice, such as the small purses made of soft eel leather (from Beck-Söndergaard, 40 and 50 euros), because everything is close together in the small shop.

There are many small items among them, such as the stamps from Perlenfischer from Frankfurt or odds and ends for filling Advent calendars, such as mini folding rulers or endless spinning tops, which are available for around 5 euros.

That's at least "halfway sustainable," says the shop owner.

There is porcelain from HK Living, scented candles made from vegetable wax from Looop from Austria (35 euros).

Two candles made in Frankfurt (Combocoral) cost 11 euros and are also bought by customers who like and support local production, as Bernhart says.

Women who are looking for something nice for themselves will find special scarves from Knit Factory and Unmade at Nima (depending on the material composition between 40 and 125 euros).

Nima, Koselstrasse 57, Frankfurt;

Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.