Recordjunkie

Like all the reviews say initial contact is a bit on the harsh side (which of course was expected after reading the reviews on this page), "handle the records extremely carefully and you might survive" had me sweating and barely being able to concentrate on the titles i was browsing through at first. When i hit the polish crates and his friend had left the shop he came around asking me where i was from and what i was looking for, soon after we had gotten into a conversation about records, swedish jazz and czech- and polish music and the friendliness was in full swing. Spent about two hours there until the shop closed, he put the records i was considering away for me and told me to come back. When we came back two days later he sang "happy birthday to you" to my dear, patient girlfriend and had picked out some other records he thought i might be into! We spent another two hours with this wonderful man who passionately played us records, came with suggestions and told us about the music we were listening to and chatted away about music and life in general. A total legend he is! You absolutely should come here if you are in the area, just be humble and he will sort you out good. Highly recommended!

Written by Oskar from Sweden at 2012-04-13 15:39:12

A gem of a store and a gem of a man. Piotr if you read this you made my Krakow sojourn VG+++. A gentleman.

Written by Grahgus at 2011-10-23 06:35:33

I just recently spent almost three weeks in Europe and searching out record stores was one of my main goals. Let me tell you, Piotr and his shop "High Fidelity" was definitely the highlight of the entire trip.

I had read all of the reviews here and thought I knew what to expect when I arrived at his shop. I walked in around 4:30pm and was promptly met with a "Sir...Closing". I apologized, told him my name, shook his hand, and said I was visiting from Seattle and he became really friendly. He then apologized to me for closing and invited me back the next day.

So, I walked in the next day and was greeted with "Aaron from Seattle!" and a warm smile. From that point on, I knew I had met someone completely different from the other reviewers on this site.

Within an hour of searching and conversation, I had an arm full of gems. He noticed that I had a Polish copy of "Garlands" from the Cocteau Twins and said "I have something for you". He pulled a hidden crate out from underneath one of the tables and hands me a rare Polish copy of the Cocteau Twins "Treasure", to which my eyes were stunned. All I could say was "Add it to the pile of records!".

I unfortunately had to meet back up with a group of friends so my time was cut short with Piotr. I could have spent hours (maybe even days?) talking to him about records. I told him that if he ever makes it to the states that he has to make a trip to Seattle for some good record shopping. He then told me that I am always welcome back to his shop anytime in the future.

It was at that point that I realized that I had made a new friend...

Written by Aaron from Seattle at 2011-10-08 12:39:12

I was in High Fidelity's shop and it was amazing for me.I was looking for 80's post punk polish band and Piotr satisfied most of my requests and advertising me for other good bands that i didn't know. He was very kind, we chatted about music. politic,football and life of our countries, mine is Italy. You have to respect him, his shop and his job because he do all this with love and passion. You must have the same ideals about music and way of life and education and everything will be allright. Great record shop that I suggest to everyone loves records and wants to find something that is very difficult to discover in other places!!

Written by Gianluca at 2011-09-15 23:46:17

I failed to mention that I wound up purchasing 5 great hard to find vinyls.

John Hutto & Mary Taddeo
Seattle, Washington

Written by John Hutto & Mary Taddeo at 2011-07-31 00:22:16

After reading some of the reviews here, both positive and negative, my girlfriend and I visited the place yesterday, July 29, 2011. I will have to admit that we were a little nervous upon entering. We asked if we could look around and Piotr said sure, but to please handle his vinyl with care. He was very cordial and has a great overall knowledge of all genres of music. I am most interested in punk and power pop and he graciously showed us the area where it was located. We spent some time discussing music both locally and internationally. I recommend this place to anyone visiting Krakow looking for some cool music. I'm sorry to hear that some others here had negative experiences, but ours was very positive. Piotr even allowed us to photograph his place, as well as himself.

John Hutto and Mary Taddeo
Seattle, Washington

Written by John Hutto & Mary Taddeo at 2011-07-31 00:19:05

Once I got past his initial weirdness and "this is not a shop" line, the surliness melted away in a flash and we were wheelin' and dealin' in no time, with the owner even making sure my girlfriend wasn't bored by our musical nerdery. Solid Polish selection, prices are reasonable for western visitors, a bit high for locals, but he definitely has decent stuff and can procure more.

People complain about the guy being a bit idiosyncratic, but really... that's the charm of this part of the world. He's a character, and to be honest, he's quite a nice guy once he gets to know you and vice versa.

Plugged a hole in my Jerzy Milian collection and a few other things besides, and the higher end items I bought were in very nice shape. Which, as anyone who's done any digging in Poland knows, is tough.

Written by superpiotr at 2011-05-06 10:49:13

I read this first an was almost put off. However decided to still try my luck, i was too asked to treat the records with care, which i think is fair enough, however found the gentleman very friendly and helped me find exactly the type of records i was looking for. He even made a cup of tea. It's almost worth mentioning that the decor of the shop is very homely, and you find yourself not wanting to leave. I recommend this dig spot!

Written by I like to buy records in europe at 2010-11-05 14:45:54

I visited there and hes a proper weirdo, he gave me the same line as evreybody gets "what do you want, this isnt a shop" Then he asks you "what are you looking for" if you reply with something that he likes he then lets you have a look in his shop. I was close to telling him to fuck off as he nearly made my girlfriend cry. Then while i was looking through the records that are for sale because it is a shop, you can hear him insult every nationality of customer that comes to shop door. Knob end.

Written by Dingleburt Stinkydump at 2010-07-30 17:45:07

This place is magic, Piotr also... and it doesn't matter - is it a shop or a museum?! who cares?! I live in Cracow only 4 this place :P aaand - yes, I'm his friend!!! :D

Written by xxx at 2010-05-27 23:33:57

I went to the shop last week when on a visit to my fiancées parents in Krakow. On arriving at the store (which I had first found online) we were greeted by the said grey haired gentleman enjoying a cigarette in the chink of sun which had joined him on his doorstep. Fortunately my soon-to-be mother in law can speak fluent Polish (although is American) and managed to arrange entry. Me being the last of our group to enter the store had a hand placed on my shoulder and told the familiar story of, 'this is not a shop', 'all the vinyl is mine personally' and the added proviso 'handle it roughly and I will cut off your head... that is not joke'. Awkward moments passed, 1970s vinyl was handled like C14th parchment. My soon-to-be-father in law fell over a box in a shaded corner and left for his own safety, my fiancée thought it best to stand outside - leaving only myself and future mother-in-law in the store who was needed to negotiate my release.

What then followed was a change of heart in old grey-beard. Seeing that I was handling his 'possessions' with care, the guy came over and began offering advice (I was after Polish jazz - a subject upon which I am ignorant). Several sleeves were taken from my hand and their contents played, sampled and discussed between us. A short history lesson came with each and after several minutes individual vinyl was selected to progress to the purchasing stage. After further discussions - I left with two fantastic pieces of vinyl, a wealth of new-found information, a 20 zl discount on the marked price and a firm handshake. My head is still on my shoulders. A gem of a store, the antidote to capitalist mass-marketed music.

Written by Matt Greenhall at 2010-04-12 15:27:19

I got really nice treating at this shop. Found most of my want list for a good price. Depends what and how you ask for your stuff.

Written by Jukola at 2010-03-22 21:40:08

Piotr is Ok - he's a nice guy but he has to know you...he is always up for trades / my first visit was as you described above...unfriendly and rude - no way to run a shop i agree but he seems to be able to get hold of just about any polish record - it depends how much you want that elusive BLACKOUT E.P or a copy of STRINGBEAT !!
I am going back in March-will update my report - please don't write this guy off but he does seem to be getting a bad name for himself on the internet.

Written by Simon Norfolk at 2010-01-04 16:19:11

I had totally the same experience. When I went in the owner asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I said, no but is it ok to just browse. His reply, ok but I have to be very careful as all the records in there were all his personal collection!

Is it a shop, or a museum? I don't know. I'm confused... A shop where you are not really allowed to touch anything (or buy?), but also one where 90% of the records are all priced. Don't know how he stays afloat...

anyway. I think it's a bit of a blessing as the stuff he has is in pretty shabby condition, and as most serious collectors agree, condition is everything. Don't recommend this place, unless you get off on being weirdly and rudely treated!

Written by confused_record_buyer at 2009-10-23 18:45:13

Aha, the exact thing happened to me sbout 2 weeks ago. Went in, ready to share my readies. The guy said can i help you, and when I asked if he had any Psych/Garage he said he could import it in. When I pulled out a Stooges LP to show he had stuff there he said that was his record and it wasn't a shop???
Bemused I left, although there were other people in there looking through stuff.......

well wierd!

Written by dr sellux at 2009-06-21 22:48:55

It's definitely a shop, I've been there and it's listed in other directories.
Strange answer from the shop owner thou. Maybe a joke or misunderstanding?

Written by recordjunkie at 2009-05-12 19:15:56

Gee, not sure if this place should be listed. Just visited it today - owner (who speaks perfect english) asks what i wanted , I said to look about and if he had any Beatles LP's. He said "This place is not a shop" then "Why are you surprised when i say this?" My only comeback was because this website said it was one. He said "This is a place for my friends." He then showed me his small used selection of mainly Russian Beatles - they did all have price tags on them. So maybe i wasn't his friend - but perhaps you are.

Written by Beatles Guy Scott at 2009-05-12 17:33:56