Gummi Grün

You’d be forgiven for thinking that marketing experts were paid a lot of money for coming up with the name Gummi Grün – seriously ‘Green Rubber’. Truth is, the name of this traditional store goes back to a clever young man called Franz Grün, who established the business over 130 years ago. Known under its traditional designation ‘Gummi- und Plastichaus’ (‘house of rubber and plastic’), it sells rubber items in all shapes and sizes, from hot-water bottles and welly boots to watering cans. When it began trading back in 1884, however, Franz Grün’s range was tiny – equipment for maternity wards, for instance. To this day Gummi Grün remains the go-to place for rubber enthusiasts. As its proprietors say, “If it’s rubber, you can get it here. And if it’s not in stock, we’ll order it.” So there you have it. Gummi Grün has withstood crisis upon economic crisis, never budging from its prime location between expensive furniture stores and designer boutiques.