Franz & Josef

Franz & Josef is a small shop in Prenzlauer berg with second-hand records only. The records are unfortunately not all in very good condition and it seems like people have different experience with the shop owner.

Address:

Kastanienallee 48, 10119, Prenzlauer Berg

Opening hours:

Mo.-Sa. 13:00 - 20:00

Telephone:

0049 030 41714682

How to get there:

M1 Zionskirchplatz, U8 Rosenthaler Platz

120 thoughts on “Franz & Josef

  1. Henrik Rask says:

    Rude staff. Beware!

  2. morsdilecti says:

    Avoid this shop, the owner is very rude and pushing and if in the first 5 minutes you have not yet bought some record, he orders you to go out from the shop. Don’t think to go there just for take a look. Better go to the next record shop in Kastanienallee: Da Capo, owned by a nice lady. Christian

  3. vilier says:

    dont feed the animals

  4. hs says:

    Extremely rude, retarded and unfit owner. AVOID!! NEVER GO HETE!

  5. nic sleazy says:

    …rude and extremly expensive too!

  6. Jakob says:

    I concur with all other comments. Extremely rude asshole behind the counter.

  7. T-Bird says:

    extremely nude, I think I’m blind now.

  8. Watts says:

    Rude, arrogant and stupid. Moreover, average stuff in poor quality. No reason to go there!

  9. concerned music enthusiast says:

    “worst record shop ever” (comic book guy)

  10. Dean says:

    Sociopathic store owner. I have no idea why he has a shop front if nobody is allowed to look. It makes no sense. Why doesn’t he just run an “order only” service if he can’t deal with people?

    1. lauryn says:

      Rude arrogant asshole owner. Do not shop here!!!!!

  11. Gary J. says:

    F*** that dude!!! what a rude piece of s***!!

    DON’T EVER BUY A SINGLE RECORD THERE!!!!

  12. Johannes says:

    Warum Leute nur kucken und nichts kaufen fragt man sich? Da gibt es nur eine Antwort: Wer will schon so einem Wixer Geld ins Arschloch stecken? Da is eh kein Platz, weil er sich all seine Platten dort hinschieben kann!

  13. Markus says:

    Excellent store, friendly owner. Always helpfull and willing to give you a discount. Free coffee too! 🙂

    1. Michael says:

      you obviously mean the wrong store !

    2. william rickerby says:

      i agree markus. the coffee was great. and i hear if you buy 2 records you get 1 free, just ask for it

  14. Marc says:

    Worst record store ever! Dude behind the counter is an asshole. Rude and arrogant.
    Avoid.

  15. Albin says:

    Rudest person ever. After 5 min looking for records he telling me how fucking stupid i am making the records in wrong order (he has no Good order). I felt misstreated so i Said i wanted to go. And he jails “fuck you, dont you never come back again”. Hope his store will close and he Will be Home and listen to Bobby Vinton – mr lonely

  16. william rickerby says:

    very nice german owner. loves british music. loves british people.
    im not sure how long the sale is on but all british customers get half price.

  17. wxx says:

    The prices are 40%-60% higher than on ebay or discogs, and the asshole who runs this joint will tell you to “fuck off and never come back” if you don’t but anything. Fucked up the rest of the day for me. Fuck this german asshole and his store.

    1. william rickerby says:

      hes soooo fucking awful this guy. he made me write a complaint on here. i would never consider doing this kind of thing. i was going to buy something but i didnt do it fast enough for him

      1. Ingvi says:

        @william earlier you commented “very nice german owner …” Did you have a nicer experience when you first visited the shop? What happened?

        1. william rickerby says:

          he thought i was english. and was quite racist about it. i just wanted english to flood his shop. i was looking through recorsd and i thought it was a joke that he was asking me to leave. then he just went mental.
          horrible man. almost comical
          have a good day

    2. Mitch says:

      Visiting from canada and he yelled at me to leave and called me poor and boring and to never come back. Ruined my day and thought everyone in Germany hated me.

  18. ewa says:

    the worst store in the world. owner was rude, unkind, caddish or should I say (more pricesely): he was a d*ck!

    1. william rickerby says:

      most awful person i have met. hes so awful its like its a prank tv show

  19. g4som4t says:

    Ein Besuch hier lohnt sich wirklich nicht. Der Laden ist schlecht sortiert, hat hauptsächlich 08/15 Ware, die es in jedem Ramschladen gibt. Der Besitzer ist ein gescheiterter Westler, der einen auf Lokalkolorit macht aber von Tuten und Blasen keine Ahnung hat. Dafür belästigt er seine Kunden massiv und dumm.

  20. Marc Müller says:

    The owner is the worst person I ever met. A sociopath. He’s on my payback list now…

  21. Stefano Dunkelblauband says:

    was für 1 vollidiot (inhaber) aber sehr gutes LPs.

  22. Ralph says:

    Same experience, owner demanded me to leave his crappy shop. The guy is a complete idiot, unworthy of Prenzlauer Berg.

  23. Just WOW… only looked the shop up online after visiting it today and leaving it totally confused: We made him nervous, he was disgusted by the carefull way we handled the records and then started yelling to get out and never come back EVER! I think we were in there like 2 minutes max.

    All the above ³

    Reminded me of Bernard Black’s book shop.

    1. filtig says:

      ahahahah i was thinking EXACTLY the same. for the real crazy-rude berlin experience, go here.

  24. Sam says:

    Another bad experience with the owner – I was looking inside for five minutes and when he asked which record I was looking for, I said “nothing in particular, I’m just looking”. He then told me to leave really angrily. It’s a shame because the selection in there is really good, but there’s no real way to check it out because of this guy.

  25. Florian says:

    UNBELIEVABLE ARROGANT !

    if you need some bad vibes, or your day is going way too good,
    this is the place !
    the owner must be some kind of racist nazi jerk having his head way up his ass.
    bring some big money and let it out right in the first round or you’d wish you had brought your boxing gear !
    how can such a shop even survive ? should be put out of business for long already..

  26. xkikix says:

    I got kicked out for looking through the sale bin. (The owner told me that he doesn’t want people in the store that flip through his sale bins.) When I asked if he was joking (because why would you have sale bins if you don’t people to look at them?), he threatened to beat me up if I don’t leave his store.

  27. Findus says:

    I enjoyed visiting this little shop and I spent some three quarters of a hour going through most of the records. I had no bad experience with the staff, however I was served by a lovely urban girl, so I cannot comment on the owner of the shop, whom people appear to have bad experiences with.

  28. Dr. Schetter says:

    This store is absolutely a dump. Worn records are pressed so tight into the boxes that it is truly a torture for the customer as well as for the records. The owner is completely insolent and has no idea how to handle his damageable goods.

    Kompletter Saftladen, die ziemlich verschlissenen Schallplatten sind so eng in die Kisten gewürgt, dass das Durchsuchen für Kunden wie für die Schallplatten zur Qual wird. Dazu dummdreiste Kommentare vom Verkäufer. Von Schallplatten und davon, wie man diese höchst empfindlichen Scheiben zu behandeln hat, hat der keine Ahnung.

  29. opsysbug says:

    I can’t wait to check this place out!

  30. PJT says:

    Walked in and he asked what I was looking for, I said I didn’t know, he said it would be better for him if I left…so I stayed. I took a Bowie record out of the sleeve, he looks to the ceiling & asks me not to take the records out of the sleeve. It had thee big scratches on it.

    Go here & wind this guy up, he’s a proper crank!

  31. John says:

    stay away from this shop! expensive and the owner just kicked me out of the store too today 3 mins after looking the records. i am sure this store will close very very soon. STAY AWAY!

  32. testy says:

    Erm, obviously awful.

    The owner sadly has some mental issues, so I think it’s a little unfair for us to criticise him.

    I would suggest we try and help him as best we can. Shit on his records?

  33. record lover says:

    so I can just fill in with a similar experience here. after asking me what i was looking for i said: maybe a luke vibert record.. he said: don’t have it so why don’t you fuck off.. i asked him if he is throwing me out and he responded: yes, so i don’t have to watch after something being stolen..

    I left in shock, questioning myself what i did to offend this guy.. after googlesearching his store it started to make sense and my day got better..

    how can such a store survive? there are many good alternatives in Berlin, where you are welcome as a customer and you can have nice conversations and be treated respectfully..


    FUCK YOU, UWE, AND YOUR CRAPPY STORE AND JUST BE ASHAMED FOR REPRESENTING YOUR NATIONALITY THAT WAY! YOU ARE LOCATED AT A STREET THAT IS HIGHLY FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS AND YOU ARE SETTING LOW STANDARDS FOR SUCH A BEAUTYFULL AND INTERNATIONAL CITY!!

  34. crispy says:

    Well I have just spend 2 full days digging up 70s Soul and Funk and in my research I had crossed this store off my list after reading the above comments. So I had just walked out of the Musik Department and happened upon Franz-Josef.

    Well lucky me I happened upon the young urbane lady mentioned above. The monster was not in. I walked in introduced myself, asked if I could look through the (large) Soul/Funk selection. Yes tightly packed, she allowed me to take some records off the front so that it was easier to browse.

    Immediately I was finding records that no other stores could find. Haha, lucky for me, he had obviously scared all the good customers away. I found some rarities, biggest of all being the original US Isaac Hayes – Black Moses with the massive foldout cover.

    About half way through the young lady asked me if I was just browsing. I showed her the 4or 5 records I had already picked out and then showed her the list of records I was looking for. That made her happy.

    I will say this; one I got dirty fingers handling the record covers (kind of the charm of crate digging) and two there is no listening station. So a problem checking the state of the vinyl. But she was happy to help check for warps on the turntable behind the counter and have a good look at surface quality.

    I ended up getting some gems and there are still plenty of great records (mostly original pressings), so go armed with a shopping list and hope it is the lady behind the counter.

  35. raz says:

    In total agreement with most of the comments on here. The owner is jaw-droppingly rude and a front runner for the Supreme Idiot of Berlin award. I was outside reading the back cover of an LP. Most of the records are overpriced, but I was on the verge of buying this one when he came out, snatched it out of my hands, put it back in the box and told me to go away.

    I’m not good at taking orders from sociopaths, so I followed him into the shop instead and asked him why I’m not allowed to look at the records. His bizarre reply was “because this shop is like the internet.” I told him he was obviously confused: this shop is not at all like the internet, in fact it’s exactly like a shop, and in a shop people are meant to be able to look at things before they buy them. That’s the whole point of a shop. He said, “Look, I’ve been doing this for 20 years.” What? alienating your customers? I’m surprised you’ve got any left. I was about to buy that record, and you’ve just lost yourself a sale. “Doesn’t matter. The next person who comes will buy it.” Oh yeah? And where is this mystery buyer? What time is he due to arrive? “You don’t have to buy it,” he said weirdly. That’s right, I don’t, and I’m not going to now, am I?! What a way to run a shop.

  36. moz says:

    I went to berlin 4 days ago and did a list of record stores to visit and do not list this one because the experiences I read here. But I listed the store “music departament” without knowing its so close. I leave the store “music departament” (this is really nice store) and start walk away, so really close in the same side of the street I found this store (without know its the store I did not listed) and wow, I saw lots of records!! and start to look the records outside the shop with my wife. I grab a “the who – live at leeds” for 5 euros and put back in the box to reserve, so I take another Blondie LP and removed the vinyl from the cover to check.. So its happened!!!! no more than 3 minutes our arrive in the shop, the guy come behind me, take the record from my hands and put again in the box saying that I wound not buy anything!! at the same time he goes to my wife, and she was checking a record that later she told me she would buy! and the guy removed the record from her hands and dropped on top of the box!! So I follow him with hate in my eyes and said: “you are a stupid ass hole, Fuck you!!” …and he said nothing, so we leave. In this moment my wife said to me: “hey I think this is the store you did not listed because the guy is a piece of shit”.. and I realize FUCK YEAH!! then we started laughing nonstop!! soo funny!!

  37. Ruined my day, thrownbout for looking at records “if you don’t know what you want you can get out and never come back” the biggest fucking asshole i ever met. The charm with finding records is that you don’t always know what you are looking for. Made me feel really bad, you think that people that are into music are nice and tolerant people…don’t give this guy your money!

  38. Worst record shop in the world! Browsed for about 5 minutes then asked to leave because he didn’t think I had money to buy anything. Upon leaving I told him that i’d leave a bad review here and also tell everyone I know to avoid his shop and visit Music Department (only 7 buildings away) and he said i’m banned from his shop and would call the police if I ever returned. What an idiot! Also – all records seem to be 20 Euro’s except the sale bins so hugely over price for run of the mill records that you can buy for 5 Euros. Maybe worth visiting just to tell him he’s an idiot.

  39. Reading the comments cheers me up. Madness! Rude and counter-productive! Music has no love here…

  40. faity says:

    Sensationell geiler Laden. Der Eigentümer mag zwar eigen erscheinen, ist aber ein patenter Typ, der gerne weiterhilft…

  41. Franz says:

    Freue mich schon auf meine erste Begegnung mit dem Besitzer, bisher hatte ich es nur mit die Stellvertreterin zutun!

  42. Volker says:

    Fazit meines Besuches vom 1.6.15: NEVER AGAIN!! Der Mieter des Ladens (Uwe) ist ein absolut behilfsloser Soziopath! Ich war mit meiner Partnerin in dem Laden, in voller Kaufabsicht, da wir genügend Geld dabei hatten und beide selbst Platten sammeln und immer was finden. Nach 5 Min wurde von dem Typen die bis zum Bersten laut laufende Musik leise gestellt und er fuhr uns völlig ohne Grund an: “Was macht ihr da eigentlich? Bitte jetzt gehen und auch nicht wiederkommen! Die Qualität der Platten ist schlecht und alles ist völlig überteuert.” – Womit er auch recht hat! Uwe ist echt von allen guten Geistern verlassen, nie im Leben, seitdem ich überhaupt daran gedacht habe, Musik zu sammeln, wurde ich so schlecht behandelt. Das komplette Gegenteil waren dann die Record-Shops am Boxhagener Platz und Nähe Schönhauser Allee. Wer absolut Bock darauf hat, sich seinen Tag in Berlin versauen zu lassen, MUSS in diesen Saftladen gehen, ansonsten ist alles andere, was man dort auffindet, zum Abgewöhnen gut!

    Finally: NEVER AGAIN I WOULD HAVE THE IDEA TO ATTEND THIS SHOP! Never!

  43. Volker says:

    Die Platten sind dazu so dermassen eng in Kisten gepresst, dass es einem schwerfällt, was zu finden, das wird in den ersten Minuten klar. Ergo: Uwe hat keine Ahnung von dem, was er da den lieben langen Tag tut.

  44. TG says:

    I was about to buy a record. I was checking the vinyl when suddenly the owner snatched the record out of my hands and put it back in the box. I thought It was a joke but this sociopath asshole refused to sell me the record ! He said “5 € is too much for you, get out ! The worst experience I ever had in a chop ! FOR MASOCHISTS ONLY!!

  45. CC says:

    Worst experience I’ve ever had in a record store. Looked for 5-10 minutes, and had pulled a record out of the plastic sleeve (still in paper) to find out when it came out, the owner snatched it out of my hand and yelled, STOP LOOKING! I said, Excuse me? He said, NO MORE LOOKING. GET OUT! I got out, although I really wanted to go back in. Unbelievable. Glad to read from the above that it wasn’t something I did wrong…

  46. kurt bosmans says:

    I took the long bike ride to this store because let’s be honest: this place is like the white whale: a record collector has to visit this record store at least once in their lifetime to get treated like shit.
    The only thing I wanted to do was give a good reply so he would freak out even harder, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. So I turned around… I’m still in Berlin for a week so who knows what will happen next couple of days 🙂

  47. Steven says:

    Interesting to read all the comments above. I had a bad experience with the gentleman at this record shop while there with my family a few years ago. Bad is a real understatement. I was truly shocked that some one would operate like this. Record shop owners and staff can be a wee bit odd at times….I should know, I am one..Well I will be in Berlin again at the start of next year and I will be paying a visit to the above establishment prepared this time. Should be fun….

  48. I have to be fair here. Before starting to dig Berlin records’ market, I have visited this page first to avoid any possible problems. So I have read the bad comments of this shop, and iI put this store in my avoid list. So I was in Melting Point, and since Oye Records was close by, I chose to walk. On my way to Oye, without reading the signboard I stopped at a small record shop after seeing hundreds of LPs on the front store. I checked one box when my eyes read the store name…..NO WAY!!!…Franz & Josef!!!

    I was so worried to meet that the store owner but what I found was a young shop seller (around 25 yo) greeting hello to me. I continued my search and found on the 5 Euro box a Pink Floyd “The Wall” (paid 10 Euro because a double LP), Bob Marley Live and Procol Harum ST with “A Whiter Shade of Pale”. track also for 5 EURO. So. I dont know if that was my lucky day or that monster has now retired after reading these tens bad comments…but again I have to be fair

  49. Randolph says:

    Worst shopholder ever, do us all a favour and stop supporting his store… I was there for like 1 and a Half minute and found a Massave Attack record for 30euro that i Wanted to buy (in the outside boxes) Lifted it up from the box to look at it and,suddenly he was all over me, yelling “STOP, just STOP. Stop it. Go” And yes I did. I Knew he was an Asholt but he still surpriced me for Being such a BIG one….. Incredible….

  50. Ronan says:

    Well I had a fantastic experience! This is definitely a shop you need to visit. Everything inside the shop is sorted, categorised, and well laid out. Clearly this is a shop where you already know what you are looking for in advance, walk in, go to your section(s) and pick what you want; it doesn’t appear to be a “browse for hours” type of place. I found the prices to be more than reasonable. As for the staff, I met with two guys (Franz and Josef perhaps?)- both very pleasant – and incredibly helpful. Once the guy I was dealing with knew what I was looking for (Kylie Minogue), he was quick to point out the Kylie calendar on the wall and then went out of his way digging out various bits for me which were in the back area. I honestly can’t fault the shop, I found exactly what I was looking for (and more), and bounced out of the shop smiling in music collector heaven. As for my personal taste in music don’t let that fool you as the shop clearly stocks everything from A to Z (including some great Johnny & Edgar Winter and Thin Lizzy which I looked at, didn’t purchase, and didn’t get shouted at). I recommend visiting the shop, say hello when you walk in, and buy buy buy. If you have a bad experience so be it, at least you’ll have a story to tell..

  51. john says:

    I had the same bad experience like so many people.
    I arrived in the shop, said “good morning” and after 5 minutes the owner asked me what I was looking for. I said soul jazz music, and he said me that I had to leave his shop NOW. I said that I will certainly buy wax but I need more time. So he told me to go away if not he will call the police.
    So dont use your time for this bad guy !!

  52. Helen Jensen says:

    HE IS HUMAN GARBAGE

  53. Antonio says:

    Or you go the big Record fair in Neerkant (NL)… More than 150.000 Vinyl records!! Free entrance and parking. 25 km from the german border. More info at http://www.oldiesclubneerkant.nl

  54. Claire says:

    Maybe he’s suffuring from a mysterious desease : he love his ninyls and doesn(t want to selle them… Or it’s for a hidden camera, but ii has been going on for a long time now…

  55. steve frisco says:

    DON’T GO TO THIS SHOP THE OWNER IS A DOUCHEBAG
    same experience the owner ask me to leave after 5 minutes

  56. morcx says:

    The Owner is simply FUCKING AssHOLE!!!! Do not Ever Go There if you want to be treated as a human being. When he saw I am with my kids he simply kicked us out.

  57. Inan sahin says:

    I heard about the owner and thought that i was lucky that he wasn’t there when i got there but the girl working there was a bitch aswell,even though we bought 6 vinyls,when we told her that we want to check another vinyl to see if the sound is ok,she told us she doesn’t want to listen to that record and told us to listen to it at home and come back to buy it if we like it.Fucking assholes

  58. Jean-Baptiste says:

    No more to add to most of these comments. I tested the shop today and was “out” after 10 minutes : this shop is still at the top for the “Worst Record Shop Prize”. Music doesn’t need this kind of Sociopathic

  59. Tobias says:

    The owner is absurdly rude. He kicked me out and told me to leave Berlin because I had one question concerning a reprint. It made no sense whatsoever. He does not deserve to have a shop.

  60. mrholmes says:

    I am a record collector who has lived in Berlin for 5 years. There are many great record stores in this city, including several (Da Capo, Music Department, Oye) within a short walking distance of Franz & Josef. I have never experienced anything near the level of rudeness and hostility that I encountered here, within a minute of entering the shop. I picked a record off the shelf, a man grabbed it out of my hand and put it back. He asked me what I was doing and told me to stop. He accused me of photographing the shop. I assumed he was a trouble-maker, but the mortified young lady behind the counter had to admit that he was the owner! He then literally told me he wanted nothing from me and would call the police if I didn’t leave his shop. I called his bluff for about ten minutes while he phoned the cops, as his employee looked on in horror and disgust. He seemed to be on hold, and I grew bored and left. Of course I will not be returning. This is the first time I have ever written an online review of a local business, but so incredibly negative and disturbing was this experience that I am almost doing this for a sense of closure. I will of course never be returning.

  61. andrekassu says:

    I thought it’s on me. But now I realize that the owner is really the most stupid guy ever. Go straight to Musik Department just a few meters away from the lunatic.

  62. I have know Uwe – the owner – since 2004 and he has never been rude to me. Always very sweet and kind. First time I was in his shop he invited me out on drinks in the evening. I had a wonderful evening with him and his girlfriend and some of his friends. Very kind and intelligent man.

  63. tjbollinger says:

    Two months ago I was there and was actually able to buy three records which were all rare and relatively cheap. It was closing hour and the owner and I chatted a little bit, then I left. Last weekend I went there again and got thrown out after 3 minutes. No need to repeat what 68 before me have said. It’s a shame. I am not really sure if this man needs urgent psychiatric help or if someone should save the records from this monster.

  64. Gerry Garcia says:

    Mostly over-priced re-issues. I could not be sure if the owners know they are not originals or is just trying to rip off customers. I suspect the latter as the old guy became like a paranoid schizophrenic when I walked out without buying anything.

  65. Erik says:

    If you are a foreigner, or homosexual or jewish, you are not allowed to shop here. The owner is a die-hard nazi; he will insult you and throw you out.
    There is no sign on the shop window anymore, but I have seen photos of how it used to be in Berlin many years ago.

  66. Carlo says:

    Totally crazy owner! he grab off hands records while costumers checking…
    Coming out and in shop, moving tools around….even my parked bike bothered him.
    Spent so much time checking vynil elsewhere, nobody was even half rude as him…
    Better avoid

  67. Iriza says:

    Verkäufer unfreundlich und unhöflich..zu vermeiden!!

  68. violator90 says:

    Uwe Trostmann ist der Typ in diesem Saftladen, der neben seiner völlig unsachlichen Art und Weise dann auch nur überteuerten Schrott verkaufen will. Alle Kisten eng an eng überfüllt mit dem Zeug, dadurch abgewetzte Sleeves, macht schon von der Optik her sehr wenig her, was Spass und Qualität betrifft. Dazu ist der Typ mit einer absoluten Ahnungslosigkeit gesegnet.. geht lieber ein paar Meter weiter zum Melting Point (andere Strassenseite!!!), da habt ihr Qualität und der Verkäufer ist ein echt netter Typ! Sonst gibt es genug andere Plattenläden in Friedrichshain oder Kreuzberg, wo ihr fündig werdet. FuJ Scheiben solltet ihr somit meiden, ausser schlechter Stimmung werdet ihr absolut nix aus diesem Laden mitnehmen.

  69. Mikey says:

    Same as in most of the above. Good selection, but expensive. The owner is an unbelievable jerk. I was in the store earlier when there was only a woman managing and bough two records. Few hours later I go back with the intention to buy more, browse the records outside for 5 minutes at which point he comes out to tell me he does not want me here and I should leave. The woman tried to say I was there earlier buying records, but the guy just went at it telling me if I had not found anything outside in 5 minutes in the 1-5 euro discount boxes, I would not find anything inside.

    DO NOT SUPPORT THIS SHOP!!

  70. Romain says:

    Une honte pour la race humaine. Enormissime connard certainement très frustré à l’intérieur, n’y allez surtout pas sauf si vous êtes friands de sensations fortes !!!

  71. Peter M says:

    Remember The Soup Nazi from Seinfeld? Well, this is the The Vinyl Nazi of Berlin. Just 10 times worse. When he for no obvious reason took the record out of my hands and told me to leave, I touched his shoulder and asked what the problem was. He went totally bananas. Please try it yourself, but bring a camera. And make sure your travel insurance is valid. The guy is an absolute wacko!

  72. Jose España says:

    Nazi , racist and xenophobic, besides a great bumpkin suburb , slag that must be eliminated from European society , discriminatory treatment , with hate and hate speech not step there, anyone who has humanity can step on that place of ill mental , and psicyoticos , with delusions

  73. julian says:

    the owner call attention to the bad treatment , poor failed, with problems of depression post drogas..ya this adult for these things. Shame end like this .

  74. I have never had such an experience in my life.
    Walked into a store. The store owner was outside, sorting records out. Tried to check the Punk section (small and overpriced) which was so packed that it was hard to see single records in it. In the meantime the owner came back into the store. From behind the counter he asked me:
    “What are you looking for?”
    me: “Hardcore Punk”
    him: “Does hardcore punk has any names?”
    me: “pardon” (not understanding the question)
    him: (irritated) “Give me some names!!! What are you looking for?!?”
    me: “Ah, OK. 7 Seconds… Screeching Weasel…” (continued checking the section)
    him: “I don´t have that!”
    me: “OK. No problem.” (continued checking the section)
    him: “Do you understand? I don´t have that! Please leave!”
    I look back at him, unsure I heard him correctly.
    him: “I want you to stop looking at my records and leave the shop. Now! Go!”
    Speechless I left the shop, remembering that I have already read about this shop sometime in the past. I just never had the (mis)fortune to check it out yet.
    No doubt I never will.
    Avoid at all cost. Mental owner.

  75. James says:

    I’ve been in this shop before and found the owner to be quite helpful if you know what you’re looking for, he’s got some great records although a little expensive. I went in again recently as I was passing the shop and asked for something specific which he had, I was literally about to buy it off him, getting cash out of my wallet and he just said “leave now… go on leave the shop…” I was totally amazed by this so started smiling thinking it was some weird joke and he lost it, went completely nuts!

    The whole thing was so weird I typed the name of the shop into google and found this tread. It’s hard to say whats going on in his head but I really think he needs some help. I just hope for his sake that he doesn’t assault someone and end up in prison before that happens…

  76. Dannyboy says:

    This afternoon I had pretty much the exact experience as most of the posters on here. It first happened to me about five years ago and I avoided the shop after that, but today I was passing and started browsing the boxes outside. I got through about one box before Herr Niceguy stormed out, slammed his hand down in front of me and blurted out the same old “Enough, that’s it. Now go and don’t come back!” etc. And you know, he’s pretty aggressive and unpleasant when he does his little ‘thing’, it’s like he’s asking for a proper fight.
    This shop’s been there for at least 10 years, but how it’s survived that long is a mystery to me. It’s a festering sore of negativity, so do yourself a favour and just pass on by.

  77. deniz says:

    last month i visited here.. and kicked out by the owner after several minutes looking at the sale box.. he yelled at me “if you not buy, stop looking!” damn… i dont wanna come here anymore.

  78. Jim says:

    One day you should grab ten friends and a one police officer and spend the whole f*cking day there and don’t budge or get intimidated.

    One this retard experiences customers in his store he can’t kick out by shouting, his psych condition will be cured. Trust me his meltdown will be therapy for him.

    If he shouts at you, pick up 5 records.

    If he pushes you, you march right in that store and stay there and call the police.

    Arrogant record store arseholes need this kind of training until the learn to grow the f up and give us their damn records.

  79. greg kotler says:

    The owner of the shop is a total Asshole. and his vinyl selection is mediocre to say the least. Don’t go there cross the street for more friendly customer service.

  80. Simon says:

    It makes me feel better to read these reviews so let me add this one to say that if you had a bad experience with this guy then you are not alone and it’s not your fault. He told me to leave after about two minutes adding something completely insulting like “you can’t afford to buy it anyway”. This is not “Berlin” rudeness: this is just someone with a serious problem. Basically, don’t go there.

  81. Rudyard Pendergrass says:

    I went here and I agree the owner is unpleasant but you have to think about the reasons why. This guy has the largest collection of Gary Glitter vinyl stock in the world. His whole back room is almost exclusively Gary Glitter rarities and merchandise. It must be difficult to come to terms that your whole life of collecting and selling the vinyl records of one individual has been rendered valueless under such unfortunate circumstances. Still if you are in the market for some Gary Glitter LP’s this is the place to go. I’d avoid rummaging through the other vinyl on display without surgical gloves on as I know that some upset visitors have smeared unsanitary waste on many of the albums.

  82. Hars says:

    “stop looking, please” after about 30 seconds! I had read the stories here so I figured it would be wise not to argue.
    I was in there yesterday also when a girl worked there, and she was really helpful. But, aIl 5 records I bought (which I thought were bargains) turned out to be unofficial releases.

  83. Krankenhaus says:

    €15 bad bootleg repressings in the bins out front, psychotic owner who informs you that you have no money and can’t come in to look inside. They should rename themselves Josef Fritzl Records – not at all suprising that he has an interest in Gary Glitter. Quite simply the worst record shop in the world. How it still exists is a mystery to me. Avoid like the plague.

  84. -Ana says:

    We had a big big WTF moment in this store. He told us to leave as soon as we entered the shop. We didn’t understand and he was like “Are you going to buy anything?” – “Well… it’s highly possible” – “No, you are not. Just go”. We thought it had something to do with us being foreigners. Our German friend entered the shop to ask what the fuck was going on and he left the shop one minute later because the owner was calling the police. Now I’m reading all of the comments on the Internet and feeling kind of relieved knowing it was not our fault, that there is something wrong going on in his mind. I really hope he gets medical attention. Get well soon, dear Franz & Josef manager!

  85. Glenn Forsythe says:

    Yep. After what seemed like a shocking and bizarre moment I thought was directed only at me, I should have been less surprised to see the series of horrid reviews everywhere online for this poor excuse of a business. I left thinking almost poorly of myself at first, like some sort of pest to be shooed away. I thought perhaps that it was because I was American, though it seems like luckily the owner hates everyone equally. It was unfortunate the owner is a wretch of a human being, the collection does seem to be pretty excellent. I suppose the owner has no idea that people need time to sift through records to find the one that calls to them… surely any music or record enthusiast would know that this is part of the process and enjoyment of music discovery. Here however, if you don’t find something within 3 minutes, he will discard you like dirt from his shoe. Though I didn’t find a record in time, I do feel like I discovered Berlin’s real life “No soup for you!” caricature.

  86. Martin says:

    The owner is a brave man. Told a 8 year old girl to piss off, She had a record in Her hand, ready to buy Her first record, ever. She keeps asking what She did wrong.

  87. Fabio says:

    einfach der schlimmste Plattenladen Berlins. bitte auf amazon platten kaufen oder woanders, nicht da.

  88. TorkDaDork says:

    I have been to this shop several times. I have always been polite when entering. I have always said that I have an eclectic taste and that I can buy everything from art rock/ prog/ disco- BUT that I’m not good with names and namedropping all the cool names.
    Uwe has always treated me nice. He has gone out of the way picking me records. In respect I have bought a lot of his recomendations. Some of it has taken some time to sink in, but it has expanded my musical taste.
    He is pissed at people comming into the store asking for one record- and then saying its to expensive. I respect that. All the phony diggers that have read a blog or listened to a dj set and is looking for that one trendy record can go to discogs and buy it there. Then you can go and get a life. Expand Your own taste in Music, don’t buy someone elses…

  89. Jewboy says:

    racist stuff crazy and violant

  90. Jewboy says:

    DO NOT BUY THERE

  91. Jewboy says:

    fucking Natzi i mean he is a natzi unreal there are still people like that in cool berlin 2016

  92. Gili says:

    Beyond imagination
    Most horrible experience i have ever had.
    Kicked me out too, for no reason.
    Avoid!! Avoid!! Avoid!!

  93. Stefano V says:

    Spending an afternoon browsing little shops in Kastanienallee, I saw this cozy small music store and I thought to give it a try and do some random check on the boxes for rare vinyls.

    Just for the records: I don’t smell, I had no political appearance, I was casually dressed, have not been unpolite or disrespectful. I am no pickpocketer either.

    In spite of all this… the owner “very politely” asked me to leave, no further explaination given.

    Asking again if I did something wrong, the owner told me “just leave”, again.

    Another customer was in the shop, looked amused; the two of them had apparently great fun to throw out customers randomly.

    Well, no problem, I’ll leave. But with me hopefully other hundreds of people reading this review will not even enter!

    PS: The prices are damn high, by the way. Just go somewhere else…

  94. Henrik says:

    Oh my God, I had to look this store up online, since I’ve never been THROWN OUT of a record store before (for looking at records). Me and my girlfriend left in a hurry, puzzled by the experience. I’m actually kind of relieved that he seems to treat everyone the same… Avoid, unless you’re in it for a weird and fucked-up experience. Maybe he should consider a career change!

  95. The Dude says:

    Lot’s of fake records outside to beware. 1st pressings of ‘Raw Power’ and ‘Diamond Dogs’ priced at 15 Euro looked too good to be true. After closer inspection they were, badly printed off center labels. Just as I was making my discovery a gentlemen came out and told me to go away, obviously he knew he’d been rumbled. Beware when shopping here, the owner is a criminal selling bootlegs to some no doubt unsuspecting customers he’s also a PRICK!

  96. frank_booth says:

    great record shop run by a connoisseur with excellent taste in chosing whom to let enter or not – always taking care i’m alone in there while diggin the crates.

  97. Klausl says:

    Auch ich bin zweimal im Laden gewesen. Der Inhaber tönte sofort: Sie kaufen ja doch nichts, verlassen den Laden.
    Als ich voriges Jahr die Kastanienallee langging und draußen bei den Kisten stand und überlegte, darein zu gucken, kam er aus dem Laden und schrie: geh sofort weiter, du kaufst ja doch nichts, sonst mach ich dir Beine. Nun, vor einer körperlichen Auseinandersetzung hatte ich keine Angst, zumal mich mein Sohn, Bundeswehrangehöriger zu dieser Zeit, begleitete. Es ist doch schizu, dass so ein Typ noch von seinen Verkäufen leben kann, wenn er jeden Kunden verjagt!!!
    Hat der Typ noch alle, beim nächsten mal zeige ich ihn an, wenn er ausfällig wird (abgesehen davon, dass ich gar nicht mehr dort hingehe. Aber eine Ecke weiter gibt es tolle Soulplatten für günstiges Geld, welch ein Unterschied!). Die Kastanienallee werde ich jedenfalls wegen dem A.. nicht meiden. In keiner Stadt in der Welt habe ich je sowas erlebt…

  98. The worst vinyl adventure in Berlin . The man needs help .Just like others above i got kicked out of the store only cause i was looking at the condition of the LP i wanted to buy.

  99. kirill says:

    This is the worst shop i have been in the entire life. I don’t know is there a law to force this guy to behave normally, but I can only tell that everyone is to avoid it.

    I came and started to check his records as I do everywhere else and got no problems, since if records could be not as good being the second hand ones, I could see it before I buy. but after really 5 mins of my checking his stuff he told me that I need to go away of his shop! i bought for thousands of euros in different shops and markets in Berlin but never got such a rude and incredible attrention!

    It was there around november 6th, I was just shocked really. I got a lot of money to buy something, and it seemed to be alot there to make me interested, but he just thrown me away! The owner of the universe – rememeber me? Wish your business would grow, dear:)

  100. Serge Kaplan says:

    Since everyone is getting mad about this guy, let me tell you what i noticed there recently. The guy is clearly specifically trying to be ‘exceptional’ or ‘edgy’ by involving his customers in a conflict.
    Firstly, he puts little tables with crates of old used records IN FRONT of his shop on the street, which is a busy shopping street, with a label saying ‘ONLY 5€’. This very obviously attracts passers-by to come and have a look. Secondly, immediately once you start digging through them, he opens the shop door and mumbles something unintelligible. This makes almost every person to wonder and follow him into the shop to ask what he said. What then follows is always the same procedure: he yells at you for opening the door, saying that he’s getting cold, and then refuses to answer any questions (such as ‘what did you say to me outside’, ‘did I do something wrong’, ‘is there a problem’, etc) and just hurls random and often pretty fierce insults at you, all while pretending to be very busy at his desk and smirking to himself. There is literally no way to argue rationally with him or to get him to acknowledge you as a bona fide customer.

    -Part 2 of my comment in the next comment as the post size is limited here-

  101. Serge Kaplan says:

    -Part 2-

    Well, me and some friends noticed this pattern of behaviour and, for the fun of it, went there a couple of times to confirm it and now I am almost certain that he intentionally sets this scenario up. While he is indeed rude and also looks like a homeless person (and often reeks of alcohol), I think he’s perfectly sane and does this on purpose, probably out of a desperation to stand out from the vast number of very similar records shops in that area. Kinda following the mantra ‘all publicity is good publicity’.
    Yes, I am aware that a post like this only fuels his brand but I am happily feeding the troll this time to share my observation with you all and hopefully help to demystify the whole thing 🙂

  102. Claudio says:

    I’m joining the club, and today was also just thrown out of this shop for no reason. Amazingly, I have been there before and bought two records and had no problems.

    This time instead I came back, and after browsing for maybe 1 minute I got thrown out with no explanation. Only “Just stop it, leave”.

    Don’t spend a dime in this shop and let it fail.

  103. thomas müller says:

    Spend some time and money there. Not sure if the guy there was the guy everyone is complaining about. He was not rude at all. BUT: he seems to be selling a lot of bootleg copies of famous albums. Hard do say anything about the quality of these pressing, but just be aware that there’s a lot of non-original pressings.

  104. Nora says:

    It‘s a great shop! The prices are fair and the owner is quite funny. He’s kinda weird but definitely not a retard or rude 🙂

  105. fulti says:

    Der Inhaber ist wirklich sehr bemitleidenswert. Hat kein Leben. Man sollte ihm eigentlich kontra geben und wenn er einen rausschmeißen will, einfach nicht gehen. Sollte er handgreiflich werden (mehr als schubsen passiert ‘eh nicht) dann hat man endlich die Möglichkeit ihm mal eine oder 2 saftige Ohrfeigen zu geben, da man sich nur wehrt (Zeuge wäre gut).

  106. Lucas Gregorowicz says:

    Seriously. No. This Uwe guy is the embodiment of frustration and bitterness. Actually not even worth the time it takes to write this comment. Boring. Simply don’t go. There is a really good Record Store on Invalidenstraße 148!

  107. zed says:

    My wife and I (both from London) went into this shop not knowing about its reputation – we managed to browse for around 20 minutes, didn’t buy anything and didn’t get thrown out 🙂 although we were weirded out by the vibes.

    We do want to go back to buy something, but now fear that we’ve wasted what could have been our only opportunity!

  108. Dave the Drummer says:

    This dude is a fucking GAY LORD!! If you don’t want people in your shop then put a ‘CLOSED’ sign on the door! DONE! I went once and before I even browsed, he started questioning my actions. What an idiot! Don’t need your shop anymore. Go scre yourself you ungrateful git!

  109. Kay Twombly says:

    I had a fight with the owner last time I was in Berlin and not only was I kicked out, but he also banned me from entering his store ever again!?!
    I’ll be going to Berlin next week and the 1st thing I shall probably do is to pee on his store-door. I am still so mad at him for being so obnoxious. I was only looking at some records and had found one and was just about to pay when he attacked me with his stupidity. What a moron!!
    I once managed to purchase a record from a young kind guy working there, but when I came home I discovered it was in really bad condition, so I simply threw it in the garbage.

    Do not spend any $$ in this shop!!!

  110. was is says:

    zu UWE TROSTMANN, Schallplatten Franz & Josef, Kastanienallee 48, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

    eine kleine Geschichte zu UWE TROSTMANN:

    ich bin, soweit ich weiß, ein oder zwei jahre älter als Uwe Trostmann, also müßte er jetzt, 2023, 66 jahre alt sein. ich kenne ihn aus unserer teilweise gemeinsamen jugendzeit. in einem trögen kleinst-städtchen- “Dorf” waren wir die damaligen “Hippies” (in den Mitt-70ern). einige jahre waren wir mitglieder der gleichen clique…
    die meisten brachen das gymnasium ab und suchten sich eine in der regel nicht befriedigende Ausbil-dung. ohne KabelTV, Internet und vor allem ohne Handy, war unser aller höchstes gut das “bewußte” anhören und besessene sammeln unserer, damals sogenannten “progressiven” musik, was zu einem enormen anteil die verschiedenen blues-arten der damaligen zeit waren.

    uwe war schon damals (ca. knapp 20) ein extremer sammler und verfügte über mehrere hundert scheiben. die wertschätzung und der unersetzliche genuß des anhörens dieser “scheiben” hält bei uns allen (wir haben fast alle keinerlei kontakt mehr zu einander) bis heute unvermindert an. auch ohne internet hatten fast alle von uns (heute übrigens auch noch) ein detailliertes fachwissen über unsere musik und so gut wie alle betroffenen interpreten, das selbst heute noch leicht ein Musik-lexikon füllen würde.

    ich brach alle kontakte ab und ging nach asien, wo ich mich mit sehr kurzen unterbrechungen bis in die anfang 2000er jahre aufhielt. habe also nie innerhalb europäischer normen oder eines westlichen gesellschafts-systems gelebt. die berge des himalayas und die dschungel und küsten südindiens waren mir immer lieber, auch heute noch…

    damals war uwe so etwas wie ein sehr guter vertrauter freund, ein gleichgesinnter…

    ich war schon als schüler unersättlich reise-gierig und verbrachte die sommer-ferien mit interrail in einen dutzend süd-europäischer länder, von denen ich jeweils kleine erinnerungen der dortigen kulturen mit-brachte, die ich liebevoll in meinem zimmer aufbaute, wo wir uns regelmäßig mit anderen kumpels zum tee-trinken und musikhören auf dem flokati trafen.

    eines gute tages wurde uwe ziemlich krank und da ich mir sorgen machte (und auch wegen der schei-ben, die mir noch von ihm leihen wollte um sie auf “tonband”, damals ein exklusiver luxus, aufzuneh-men) besuchte ich ihn mit seiner schweren erkältung. er lag im bett und als ich mich umdrehte war da ein regal mit einer kleinen sammlung südeuropäischer dinge…und zwar genau die gleichen (es waren jedoch dieselben!) die auch ich hatte. naiv und nichtsahnend freute ich mich:
    “hey, das ist ja geil, du hast genau die gleichen teile wie ich auch!”
    seine kalte (offen und ehrliche??) antwort mit einem überlegenden grinsen:
    “Nee das sind doch deine, die hab ich dir bei einem der tee-treffen geklaut als du aufs Clo gingst!”
    ungläubig, verwirrt und tief geschockt brauchte ich eine ganze weile um wieder klar zu werden. allen war bekannt, dass diese kleinen mitbringsel von meinen reisen, das absolut wertvollste für mich waren.
    nach wenigen minuten hatte ich mich wieder gefaßt. die end-70er waren noch eine absolut gewalt- und haßfreie zeit fast überall. auf dem land besonders extrem. und er war echt angeschlagen durch die er-kältung. ich nahm die mir gehörenden und von ihm entwendeten sachen aus dem regal, sagte ihm er solle sich nie wieder bei mir sehen lassen und ging.
    und habe ihn seit dem nicht wieder gesehen. (was sicherlich auch besser war)

    ich war zur damaligen zeit bereits im gymnasium ein exzellenter rethoriker und eine bessene leseratte und schrieb für mich privat und einige auserwählte freunde psychedelisch inspirierte kurzgeschichten (was ich heute noch ab und zu mache) und verbal kam im zweifelsfall kaum jemand gegen mich an. Uwe war daher auch ruhig, grinste nur fies…

    es sind knapp 50 jahre vergangen und als ich vor einiger zeit einige namen von damals googelte war auch uwe trostmann dabei.

    die verletzende arroganz und rücksichtslose gehässigkeit (die man lieber nicht im “gutmensch-talk” als offen & ehrlich bezeichnen sollte) sind geblieben.
    angebliche ausreden wie “jeder hat sein gepäck zu tragen” oder “man weiß ja nicht was ihm eventuell widerfahren ist” sind ein system womit fehlgeleitete Träumer die schlimmsten greueltaten zu neutralisie-ren versuchen.

    dieses unentschuldbare widerliche permanente verhalten ist die mit abstand unterste schiene. menschen, die sich freuend einen solchen plattenladen betreten um vielleicht eine ihre heißgeliebten lieblings-scheiben aus längst vergangenen zeiten zu finden, so entwürdigend und häßlich zu behandeln ist das letzte. das müßte gerade er selbst doch besser wissen als jeder andere…
    (er war der emotionalste und besessenste Plattensammler von uns)
    was macht er wenn da mal ein paar junge deutsch-kurden eine schallplatte suchen….????

    was ich vermisse, ist das in den wirklich unglaublich vielen kommentaren an sehr vielen stellen im net, sich anscheinend niemand jemals verbal richtig dag-gen gewehrt hat. bei ernstem und heftigem wider-spruch ist er nämlich, zumindest damals, immer gleich artig zurückgerudert. (in hamburg jedenfalls hätten die leute ihn schon lange aus dem laden rausgeholt…)

    sehr ernüchternd jetzt ist, dass der damalige bruch der freundschaft, worüber ich mir danach oft meine gedanken gemacht habe (ob das nicht doch übertrieben war), instinktiv die genau richtige entscheidung war…

    ich lebe seit über 30 jahren ultra-alternativ, bewußt und gesund in allen lebensbereichen, nicht militant, entspannt/tolerant/friedlich/gutmütig und sehr vielseitig, mit extrem starken, auch spirituellem, asiati-schem einfluß.
    nebenbei treibe ich sehr viel fitness und sport (auch kampfsport) und arbeite schon mein gesamtes le-ben ununterbrochen daran meine unzähligen ideen, allesamt nicht egoistisch und nicht radikal, alternativ und wenn irgendwie möglich nachhaltig angenehm für alle beteiligten immer wieder zu verwirklichen.

    ich habe nur sehr selten mal was in berlin zu tun, aber beim nächsten besuch werde ich auch mal diesen “Platten-laden” besuchen…

    mein “progressives” musikwissen, nicht nur über schallplatten, auch speziell über den damalig weit ver-breiteten blues, der damals auch in den hitparaden dominierte, speziell aus den 70/80ern und den Inter-preten und musik-entwicklungen und -strömungen vieler damals angesagten musikrichtungen übertrifft das von “Kollege” Trostmann nämlich bei weitem…
    und er weiß genau, dass er mich NICHT so wie die betroffenden “Kunden” behandeln kann, da ich so etwas von ihm nicht hinnehmen werde.

    sollte diese website nach dem “Trostmann-Treff” noch aktiv sein, werde ich ausführlich davon berichten…

    dennoch hier im namen der wertschätzung für alle musikbegeisterten und schallplatten-sammelnden menschen ein vielleicht viel zu gutmütiges, trauriges und beschämendes SORRY für das verhalten so eines einmaligen A….loches!!

  111. was is says:

    dazu noch eine asiatische asiatische weisheit:
    schau in das gesicht und du siehst die wahrheit!

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