Friedrichshain. Started as a joke between two hardcore kids, still going twenty years on.

Shop: Bis aufs Messer
Address: 107 Marchlewskistraße
Town: Berlin, Germany
Established: 2006
Formats: Vinyl, Cassette, CDs, 7"
Crates: Punk, Indie, Rock, Electronic, Jazz, Folk
In the shop: Mail order, Step-free access
Opening hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-19:00; Sa 11:00-18:00

Robert and Stefan came out of the nineties emo and hardcore scene, had been running a mail order from home, and opened Bis aufs Messer in Friedrichshain in 2006 on what they cheerfully describe as a Schnapsidee - an idea had while drinking, by two people fed up with college and work. The selection is sharp and wide rather than genre-loyal: punk, post-punk, noise, drone, garage, experimental, electronic, jazz, folk, wave and whatever small labels are doing worth hearing, plus tapes, some CDs, books and merch. They run their own imprint, ADAGIO830