February the 9th, 2026 ? Džabac is a Zagreb shop where everything is free, you just come and take what you need and leave what you?ve got too much of for someone else.

As Putni kofer/Martina Hrupic writes, if you find yourself in the Trešnjevka area, you?ll come across Džabac, a little shop that has sprung up in the abandoned premises of the former New Samobor Station. Just in front of a graffiti-painted building that has definitely seen better days, there are usually several food crates containing the green of Brussels sprouts and kale, the red of pomegranates and apples, and the orange of oranges. There are often onions and garlic, potatoes, rusks and toast, mozzarella, almond milk, and so on. Džabac is not your regular sort of shop.

This Zagreb shop has stock that is totally free. There?s no cash register, money, card readers or receipts. Nor are there even any standard shelves. It?s a highly unusual shop in which customers are told “if we aren?t there, just help yourself”.

Džabac, Zagreb?s shop in which everything is free, defines itself as exactly that ? a shop in which everything is free. The things displayed there can be taken by anyone who needs them, and you don’t have to pay anything. You don?t even have to leave a donation. Likewise, everyone can leave something they?ve got too much of. The idea is that people bring things from home that they don’t need and that someone else could use.

People can bring anything, but there are still a few exceptions. For example, clothes can?t be offered because they don’t have the capacity or conditions to store them. Certain household items can be brought, such as dishes or glassware, in any case those that can withstand low temperatures and relative humidity because the spaces where they are stored aren?t ever heated. Toys are also an option, for example. Hygiene items are also welcome. The vegetables that were displayed in boxes were collected from the market. It was all perfectly good produce that was not sold and that the sellers couldn?t take back home.

Noble little Džabac, while being Zagreb?s free shop, isn?t the Red Cross. ?We don?t collect donations in bulk. The idea is to help each other. If I know that I?ve got something extra, I?ll give it to someone who needs it,? they stated from the shop.

Džabac came to life last year, more specifically February, on the wave of boycotts of retail chains taking place back at the time. There?s no individual person, association or formal organisation behind its establishment. Džabac, they say, was created thanks to individuals who believe in what it represents. Its point was to bring together those who want and can help and to let people know that there?s a location where this idea is being implemented. “The point is for people to get involved and help themselves while helping others,? they say.

This most unusual shop is open from 14:00 to 17:00, and they?ve even held dinners and poetry evenings so far. Such events are planned when the weather picks up and the days become longer again.

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