How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
It’s located on the ground floor of the house my wife has lived in for the past 20 years (and I have lived in for the past 7 years). It used to be three separate little rooms that hadn’t been used in almost 50 years. Everything looked accordingly. There was no plumbing, no power cables, and not even a proper floor installed yet.
Four years ago, my wife and I decided to connect these rooms and turn them into a little neighborhood coffee shop.
Our area was very much underserved in terms of coffee shops and could really benefit from a nice, cozy space open to everyone.
What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
As soon as the sun appears from behind the buildings, our outdoor seating area turns into a little oasis. Das Schöneberg faces south, so we enjoy direct sunlight almost the whole day. Even if the temperature is as low as 10°C, it feels nice to sit outside and bathe in the sunlight.
If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss?
I’d say: just come in, get a coffee, sit down and enjoy the view out of the big windows overlooking the neighboring park. There’s something deeply relaxing about a cozy space, a good cup of coffee and a nice view.
What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
It has been tricky creating a space that feels comfortable and accommodating for, hopefully, the whole neighborhood. No matter if you’re a parent with your five-year-old child, a group of seniors meeting up for a chat, someone who just came out for a walk with their dog, or anything in between.
What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
As a neighborhood coffee shop, our main influence is the neighborhood. So we try to “go with the flow.” Besides what we add to or remove from our menu, this also influences everything from our opening hours to the space itself.
What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
Last year, we were fortunate enough to be able to expand our team quite a bit. Within 12 months, we grew from being a little coffee shop run by its two owners to having a team of eight people. Every new team member has inspired us immensely and led to smaller and bigger changes in every aspect.
If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
Lance Hedrick.
My wife and I are not only first-time coffee shop owners, but this is also the first coffee shop we’ve ever worked in, period. So somewhere around four to five years ago, we started the process of collecting all the necessary skills and knowledge to make this dream of having our own little coffee shop a reality.
Nothing has been more inspiring and useful than Lance’s YouTube channel.
I would mainly just like to show some gratitude, have a good time and brew something tasty together.
Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?
The area now occupied by the toilets used to be a cigarette store roughly 50 years ago. When we started work on the coffee shop, there was still some old furniture in the corners and old advertising posters for cigarette brands that don’t exist anymore lying around.
If you go back in time even further, up until the end of the 19th century, you would find a canal in place of our outdoor seating area. A small but busy waterway used to transport all kinds of goods around the city.
If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
Home by Planet of Souls.
Music is an extremely important part of what gives a place like ours its identity. For the past couple of years, we’ve been curating a playlist that has been the constant soundtrack to daily life at Das Schöneberg.
This is one of the tracks from it, and the title says it all.
For us, Das Schöneberg has become home, and we hope that everyone who visits, whether for five minutes or five hours, feels at home too.
Answers by Daniel Leberl, owner of Das Schöneberg.
