Find a bed and breakfast. Stay away from the larger hotel areas if you want to find a true Vienna thrift shop. The smaller “mom and pop” stores can be generally found away from these areas. Also, outdoor marketplaces or “FreienMarktplatz,” offer interesting choices.
Contact an Austrian Hostel, small hotel or motel. You might be able to get the name of a thrift shop right down the street. Once you get that name can call, get a new name and call another. Far too often, people are simply satisfied with just one piece of information. Use your bits of information to find more. Being “extra” friendly goes a long way, too.
Talk with others. Many people traveling today maintain their own blogs. There is a lot to be said for inside information. They may have some insight about where to find antiques or little treasures not to be found elsewhere in the world. People may also have personal knowledge about pitfalls to avoid. Two places to start are the Fashion Spot and the “1st district.”
Use email. Contact universities, Austrian or German owned businesses (either in or out of the U.S.), and even a retired persons association. Again, people will be your most valuable resource in finding a good Viennese thrift shop. Universities are filled with language professors who have both travelled and shopped at Vienna thrifts shops, too.
