Glockenbach since 1982. Opened on US and UK imports, and still the city's benchmark.

Shop: Optimal Records
Address: 6 Kolosseumstraße
Town: Munich, Germany
Established: 1982
Formats: Vinyl, CDs, 7"
Crates: Hip-hop, Punk, Electronic, Reggae, Rock, Jazz, Soul, Indie
In the shop: Buys collections, Mail order, Step-free access
Opening hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-20:00; Sa 11:00-17:30; PH off

Peter Wacha and Peter Blaha opened Optimal in 1982 in a former hairdresser's on Hans-Sachs-Straße, built on imported American and English records at a time that was not easy to do from Munich, and drew a following for hip-hop, avant-garde, punk, new wave, industrial and reggae. It is on Kolosseumstraße in the Glockenbachviertel now, 120 square metres, and it is the shop other Munich shops are measured against, with ties to the city's labels, Gutfeeling among them