It is fully booked until the end of the year: The "Testraum" in Offenbach is popular. Alexandra Maziossek and her fashion label "Lama Designs" are currently occupying the store space at Grosse Marktstrasse 39, while Pfannenschmiede from Mömlingen in the Odenwald will be moving in during November and December. "I am very pleased with the development of the 'Testraum'. Since it opened in March this year, it has already provided space for a considerable range of business ideas - from fashion and accessories to vinyl records. Now we have hand-forged pans, which is great. We can really enrich Offenbach's city center with this mix of offerings," says Offenbach's Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke.
Pfannenschmiede is a family-run blacksmith business that was founded in 1995 by Ulrich Blaut. Two years ago, his son Jeremias and his best friend Robin Olbert joined the business - both are 23 years old. In the meantime, another blacksmith has joined the team. Until now, the "Pfannenschmiede" has only sold its pans via its online store and at craft markets. "We have long wanted to test whether our concept also works in a stationary sales area," explains Ulrich Blaut. "The 'test room' offers us an ideal opportunity to do this. I'm delighted that the city of Offenbach is giving us this opportunity and I'm excited to see how we are received by the people of Offenbach."
Blaut has ten different hand-forged iron pans in its range, from classic pans in various sizes to frying pans and woks. They are suitable for all types of stoves and also for gratinating in the oven. "As genuine pieces of craftsmanship, they are not cheap, but they will last a lifetime. The range is also being expanded to include other products and brands, such as concrete accessories from reinform concrete design or handmade spice mills from Potsdam. "If our test balloon flies well in Offenbach, we can imagine opening our own store in the future. Ideally, the Offenbach 'Testraum' will be something of a springboard for us." In keeping with the concept of the "Testraum", Ulrich Blaut receives the store space free of charge. The store is fully furnished and the furniture, known as modules, can be put together individually.
The "Testraum" is part of the future project "Testraum-Allee", which the city of Offenbach is implementing offensively together with the Offenbach Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It enables companies, start-ups and business founders to try out new forms of business in Offenbach under low-risk conditions and test their potential for permanent settlement.
About the "Test Room Alley"
The "Testraum-Allee" is a project of the city center future concept in cooperation with Agentur Mitte and Offenbach offensiv and aims to sustainably upgrade and expand the retail sector. The project focuses on the conversion of vacant properties with the aim of establishing high-quality retail, gastronomy and service businesses in Offenbach's city center that are economically viable in the long term. The future project "Testraum-Allee" aims to establish new, high-quality and economically viable store concepts in vacant or threatened (ground floor) store spaces in the city center. The aim is to increase the attractiveness of Offenbach's city center and provide impetus for a vibrant and lively city center from which businesses, owners and citizens alike can benefit. Three projects have been implemented and supported to date: the temporary OFTEN department store, the "Doki Doki" concept store and the Mini-Market at M. Schneider.
Further information:
More information on the future concept for the city center
German city centers are undergoing radical change as a result of the shrinking retail sector. Against this backdrop, the city of Offenbach developed a future concept for the city center back in 2020 together with the people of Offenbach, the Offenbach offensiv association, which is close to the Offenbach Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the planners from urbanista - a concept that now comprises 16 projects. The aim, as Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke emphasizes, is to strengthen the remaining retail trade and enable new trade. However, because it will no longer be like it used to be, completely new reasons to come to the city center are also to be created. The 16 projects of the city center future concept are therefore deliberately different offerings in order to maintain the heart of the city as an inviting and lively place. More than half of the projects are already being implemented. The city of Offenbach is working hard to shape change - together with numerous inner-city and external stakeholders. Together, they want to make the city center lovable.
