OFTEN - Design concept store in a charming backyard

On the first weekend of December 2023, the OFTEN mini design department store opened its cast-iron doors to friends of high-quality design and culinary delights for four days. Lovers of unusual pieces got their money's worth. On three brick floors, there was vintage furniture, bags and streetwear, rare pieces of jewelry, chic, printed items, good limoncello and personal shopping advice for the undecided. Selected culinary delights, live music sessions, good beats and a children's program enhanced the shopping experience.

4 days, over 4200 guests, 14 stores, 4 DJs, 3 culinary highlights: The OFTEN showed what is possible when creative business ideas, courageous real estate owners and urban know-how come together to try something new. And so the OFTEN not only offered its visitors a shopping experience, it was also a successful test space for everyone involved. At OFTEN, retailers and exhibitors were able to try out their business ideas and sound out whether Offenbach works for them as a location. Real estate owners and developers were able to see that giving space to new, creative ideas can work. And the city itself was able to test the future project "Testraum-Allee" in practice.

Using such synergies for the further development of Offenbach's city center is the core idea behind the Testraum-Allee future project, which got off to a brilliant start with the OFTEN. The next goals have already been set: four new store concepts are to be permanently established in Offenbach by 2025.

The OFTEN was made possible by the alliance between Agentur Mitte - responsible for the implementation of Testraum-Allee on behalf of the City of Offenbach - and Frankfurt real estate developer Kilian Bumiller. The latter had recently acquired the three-storey brick building with its charming inner courtyard and was quickly convinced to make the building in a prominent location temporarily available to Agentur Mitte in order to showcase the potential of Offenbach's city center.