During the Internationale Eisenwarenmesse in Cologne, Germany, a steady stream of taxis shuttled visitors from the convention center, across the railroad tracks and to a home center at 20 Istanbul Strasse. That’s where one of the biggest, latest, modern Bauhaus home center attracts customers from this ancient city on the Rhine.

Coming out of a cab, one visitor from China asked a reporter: “Did they allow you to take photos?”

Answer: Well, nobody said we couldn’t.