Let It Bleed for local art

One of the best things about Berlin is how many small, independent businesses there are all over town. The city is packed with DJ-owned vinyl stores, artist-owned galleries, cave-like basement bars, lovingly curated second-hand boutiques, tiny chef-owned restaurants, comic book/manga shops ... well, you get the picture.

Let It Bleed is one of these, located just a few blocks from where I live in the Kreuzberg neighborhood. It’s an artist-run collective that sells and celebrates the work of local Berlin visual artists. When my partner and I moved into the area, it was one of the first places we went to get some artwork for our new place, and we easily found a bunch of amazing pieces. We also found some awesome art at a comic shop called Modern Graphics, which is literally just around the corner from Let It Bleed (and has been there for more than 30 years!)

Shopping at these local indie retailers was an affordable way to bring some of Berlin’s creative energy literally into our home, plus it felt great to support small businesses and local artists in the process.

Let It Bleed actively goes out to find new artists and gives them a community and a place to find fans and sell their work. They stage group and solo shows in the gallery part of their shop, and they always throw great opening night parties to celebrate. One of the people they helped get a foothold in Berlin is Flo Cardenas Poza, an artist and animator whose work graces the cover of The Ellis Court’s first EP, What More.