Real Estate Search
Finding suitable real estate in Cologne is challenging, particularly for less conventional concepts. Can you help us by keeping an eye out for potential locations? The more people who keep their eyes open for us, the higher our chances of finding the perfect spot. Thank you for your support.
Noise protection
Of course a club is noisy and even with the best noise protection concept most of the city is unsuitable for such a project (today). Our guests talk on the way to us and at the entrance, a possible outdoor area generates noise and even with the best sound insulation some of the music spills out into the street. Consequently, flats must not be too close, with a distance of over 100 metres being ideal. We need expert opinions on noise protection and guest arrival in order to get permission for the krakelee Club. We can solve most issues with just a bit of creativity and money. However, we’d prefer to use the money elsewhere to make the club even nicer for you and us, and to make the prices as fair as possible.
Special requirements
A club also has very special requirements for the property. It is hardly possible without renovation measures: the event rooms must be made fire-safe, escape routes must be created, ventilation systems must be installed and the technical equipment must be built in. For this reason, buildings that have no structural defects but are in need of renovation are particularly suitable for us. A club does not need white walls and that is why we are also interested in older (commercial) buildings and witnesses of industrial culture. However, each potential object must be considered individually and details would exceed the scope here.
Competition in the market
The market is already very competitive, and it has become even more challenging due to significant changes in retail trade over recent years. Brick-and-mortar shops like the local shoe or electrical store are closing down, while online and mail-order businesses are expanding rapidly and require commercial spaces to stock and dispatch goods and store them several times on their way to the customer’s door. Warehouses like these do not require buildings in good condition or with advanced equipment. As a result, they are in direct competition with us because they rely on inexpensive rents for unrenovated buildings in desirable locations. Alongside these low demands, business risks in the mail-order industry are minimal, and move-in/move-out times are rapid, making these properties appealing to owners as tenants. Therefore, this alteration results in precious structures in central urban areas being used up instead of being utilised for the benefit of the public.
we need you!
We want and need to break through this process! Since more unconventional concepts — no matter how solid they may be on paper — are often viewed with suspicion and dismissed with the usual empty phrases, we need you! Whenever you notice a vacancy, you know someone who owns such property, you hear about a company that is closing down or relocating in a few months or years, write to us! We rely on direct contact with landlords and owners to present our vision and business model. Unfortunately, estate agencies are not much help in this; they choose the path of least resistance and have little sense for the neighbourhoods, cities and people in whose environment they operate!
So feel free to contact us at any time by email at immo@krakelee.org!
Profile of requirements
| Location | inner-city or near-city peripheral location with good accessibility, arrival mainly by bicycle and public transport |
| Aspired legal form | cooperative (eG) |
| Current legal form | cooperative in audit (eG i.G.) |
| Financing | Cooperative shares, crowdfunding, personal loans |
| Core hours | Fri 23:00–11:00, Sat 23:00–11:00 |
| Guests | 400–800 people per night |
| Floors | 1–2, depending on size |
| Additional rooms | rest/awareness room, backstage, office, storage, sanitary rooms |
| Event area | 200–500sqm |
| Outdoor area | 100–300sqm |