Pretentious, lame, rude staff. Came in to ask about buying some vinyls and they were very snippy…read moreand made me feel stupid.

I've read nice things about the only Record Store in Dalston, and while i'm in town i always…read moreresearch local stores and go to the ones that seem decent to pitch them my record that came out on 4 labels and yet is only available in some parts of the world as import (which makes it too expensive for most independant stores to have in stock). Kristina Records made a nice impression on the surface, so i walk up to the clerk and tell him i'd like them to stock the LP - he looks as me with this expression full of contempt and goes ''i bet your album is not from this year'' - i tell him this is the first/ German edition and is from last year, but it came out in the US just this March - he flips it over and finds "2013" at the bottoms - points at it and says not without glee ''there!'' - i was too shocked that the guy basically dismised the album based on the fact that it's ''from last year'' without even looking it up and checking who was involved in it and where it was released or just plainly, listen to it. London record stores are terribly snotty, just like their counterparts in Portland - another city which is saturated with bands - but i've never had such a ridiculous respsonce anywhere. and if clerks working in a store dont give a damn about new music, have no interest in discovering something and promoting it, then i have very little respect for their store. as i myself have a huge passion for discovering new stuff and sharing it with my music loving friends. pretentious, unfriendly and apparently only stocks album from ''this year''.

This is amazing. What a shop. Just full of brilliance. They sell ethnic trinkets, actually quite…read moregood ones. Incense. Jewelry. Retro record players. 70s ashtrays. And a rail of really good (like really good) vintage clothes. Proper, like old Levis jackets. So that side of the shop is brilliant. And then, out the back, is racks and racks of incredible vinyl. Amongst the best I've seen. Just quality reggae, loads of old African stuff. Old Soul. Jazz. 45s. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. One of the best shops I've ever been in.

Tiny wee shop stuffed with vinyl, too many to be honest which means it's not aspleasurable an…read moreexperience as it could be! Still, it's all part of the fun of going to 2nd hand record shops I guess. The owner is really friendly though. You will need a day here!!!

I found out about this shop through social media and the 'old social media', word of mouth. I've…read morebeen aware of Cosmos Records in Toronto for at least 10 years but I just found out that there was a Cosmos Records in London. Going to Cosmos was high on my to do list whilst here in the city of London. I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed with my trip to Cosmos! A GREAT selection of vinyl is to be found in this shop. If you love funk, soul, jazz, Latin, Brazilian, African, Hip-Hop, House, electro, sound libraries, comedy, etc., on vinyl, then you must go there. Don't waste your time and money anywhere else in London; just go to Cosmos Records. Thank me now or later.

It's time someone was honest about this shop. Do they get in a fairly unusual selection due to…read moretheir US connections? Yes. But they price their stock through the roof and anyone with any experience buying vinyl will recognise titles they can pick up for £5-10 elsewhere at £20-30 here. You could then make the argument that at least its all in mint condition and guaranteed first press, for the collector without time to search out these things for cheaper prices, but even this isn't the case. A copy of Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz that they have for an eye-watering £75 is just the orange/green 1974 reissue, barely worth £20-30. Sleeves are often scuffed and worn. If you like the shop, like the people and don't mind paying over the odds by some 50% or more for the privilege then please patronise this establishment. If you have ever bought a record anywhere else in the world, don't bother.

Nice mood, good coffee and decent selection of records. Pricing is on the steep side but not…read moreoutrageously. What spoils the deal is the over-strict returns policy. Bought a £26 disc sold as NM, made a mistake of not checking it carefully before taking it home. Scratch on side B made the disc unlistenable. Returned the next day only to be told it is "my fault" since I didn't check. Having bought £200 worth of discs in two weeks didn't mean a thing for the owner. Never again.

Backyard market and London Artisian is awesome! Period!…read more Big huge indoor venue, lots of food and shops to choose from, and super classy area, with lot of trendy things! You can easily spend a good half day there! Will let my photos speak for itself!

I recently bought a bling collar from a stall at backyard market. I also recently felt like a Kanye…read morewest douchebag, as recently as the last sentence I just wrote. I always loved this market on sundays- just because it's always a bit quieter than the upmarket and the stalls are a bit more bling-y, like bling phone cases, and bling necklaces, interspersed with some good old vintage glasses and hand drawn artwork. ALSO there's a good few food stands outside too! The collar I even haggled for and damn, i got tonnes of compliments- so it shows that you don't need to pay crazy prices for UNIQUE statement jewellery.

Service was rude, non welcoming, didn't bother buying anything based off the grumpy rude non…read moreservice. Sad as I walked a long way to get there and the selection of vinyl wasn't too bad. Coffee shop around the corner was more interesting

This coffee shop is, as the name suggests, also a record store. I arrived a little before noon and…read moreno one else was in the small space. The barista didn't look thrilled I was there but maybe he was just not happy working on a Sunday. There's only four tables inside with a couple outside so not many people could fit in here anyway. Within in an hour a couple more groups of people showed up, along with people coming in just for records. The barista changed the record playing frequently and the music was always pleasant. No filter coffee, but I did have a delicious americano served in a glass mug. A lovely experience all together.

Original place where you can seat in wooden benches surrounded by records which you can listen to…read morewhile sipping your coffee. The waitress is lovely and will make you feel home. Original place not yet too hipster and with a very nice feel. Maybe not the most confortable place to work but definitely worth trying it out.

A proper bookshop...but more importantly, and independent one!…read more I really like this place and am so happy that they still exist despite the convenience of online shopping. But it's actually at shops like this where I get inspired for a next book. I'm pretty much fed up with the personalisation of Amazon; while they probably know what I like, they cannot tell me what I might also like. And this is where the independent book sellers like The Stoke Newington Bookshop have a real margin: they have passionate and friendly staff who love to read themselves and they in turn can recommend their customers something totally unique...as long as you're willing to let them take you to undiscovered territory.

This large and popular bookstore is a good place to pick up a weekend's worth of reading. I find…read morebookshops cozy places to browse around in, and I enjoyed the experience of this small but well stoked local bookstore. Frequented by many of the literati that live in the whereabouts of Stoke Newington, this spacious store also hosts book readings by local authors, and an occasional poetry night. They have a good range of children's books, as well as several magazines on arcane and current subjects. I found an interesting philosophy journal here, with short articles on the most challenging ideas of our times by eminent philosophers. Another addition to the overflowing bookshelf!