Own Guru Records

What I liked best about this record store is the upper level. It’s more like a balcony where you can listen to records and look down on the lower level of the shop. It’s one of the cooler listening stations that I’ve seen. In terms of bargains, there are a bunch of really cheap stacks with some rare records, but the some of them are pretty scratched up (at least the day when I went there). However, the joy is in the digging for me — that’s what I enjoy anyway. If anything, the differentiator of this store — compared to the others around — is that it’s the most comfortable place to listen to records. Plus, the people who work there are cool and pretty chill. If you are Fell’s Point, I would recommend this vinyl shop.

This guy was totally normal and he had some OK psych rock and avant-​garde titles, but nothing to write home about nor worth a extraordinary visit from places afar. Priced fairly if I recall correctly, but nothing special.

Here’s the thing. I love allen. He’s a great guy with great recommendations… on good days. On bad days he can be a serious a hole. Despite that… I have been coming here for years and will always support him. He’s fair in trades and gives package prices.

Guru is the epitome of real crate diggin and what a real record shop is. I would go here any day over crummy chains like sound garden and record and tape trader. You will find some real rare hard to find jazz here but your gonna pay a decent amount for it because the owner finds great condition rare stuff. The owner is a nice guy in my opinion probably because were both jazz heads. He really knows a lot about music and Id buy records off his recommendation any day.
The bad reviews for guru are mainly put here by dumb hipsters that are collecting because its trendy and cool now, that play there gay smiths records on plastic turntables. I been collecting since I was 12 years old and these kind of people don’t care about music, the culture, or anything that record collecting is really about.
If you want a nice clean corporate record shop that sells shitty reissues for the trend and plastic turntables that will ruin your records don’t go here.
But if you want a real crate diggin experience, great hard to find original pressings, good music recommendations, and support a great small business then go to guru records.

Best record store in Baltimore, hands down on the tasty vinyls! Locally owned and sustainable for 10 years plus! Just like Chuck D says «don’t believe the hype», about the store’s owner the Guru. He’s a not a meanie wienie, he’s a really cool cat! The store is semi-​organized chaos, with goodies lurking and popping out every step of the way. I totally would shop there again in a Taana Gardner «Heartbeat»!

Smells like cat pee there are some good lps the owner is ok he gave me a nice discount
not that bad funny he said to me i dont sell cds ha lol!!!

I’ve been to record shops all over the world, and this may be the best I’ve been to. A small selection, but everything is high quality and most of it is stuff that is very hard to find. And the prices are dirt cheap. Plus the owner was a great guy, who I actually had a nice conversation with (almost unheard of in a record shop).

Well, reading the reviews on here makes me feel like I have to set the record straight (pun intended). I would say that if you are part of the crowd who began collecting records in the last few years when it became cool and would like all your new flavor of the month indie bands and 180 gram reissues lined up nicely and shrink wrapped while a detached but hip young person wearing the latest anti-​fashion rings you up and hands you your record in a nice thick bag with the company logo on the front, this is not for you. Go to sound garden.
The place is a little disheveled, but it certainly doesn’t stink. And guess what? You can haggle on prices. Ask him how much and go from there maybe? Oh no, you’d rather be told what to buy it for and jus live with it? Go to sound garden.
This is how record stores work. It’s about going through the shelves, haggling, making friends, etc. you have a thin skin and just need something cool to fill your ikea shelves? Go to sound garden.
The records aren’t cheap, but you know why? They are original presses. This is something record collectors care about. The prices are not cheap, but fair. The guy isn’t an idiot. You think it’s abrasive and over priced? I doubt you’ve ever been to a record store in Brooklyn.
Anyway, small an disheveled, but the best record store in Baltimore. Originals, rarities, excellent taste and selection, and very fair prices. Talk to the owner, too. He knows a lot and is very experienced. I can’t recommend it enough, especially for jazz and avant garde jazz as well as other experimental genres.
If you need the Walmart of record stores to satisfy you there are other places, but dont trash Own Guru.

Own Guru is a neat little record shop in Fells Point that I had went to several years ago and a lot has changed… instead of posting an update I’m just redoing my review…
The PROs
–owner is helpful and knows his stuff
–good hours of operation
–lots of crates to dig though
–most stuff is priced
–listening station with two turntables
–decent variety of almost every genre
The CONs
–prices for some stuff is ok, but came across a few records that were priced a bit high for VG– /​Good condition records
–hard to access some stuff
Overall One Guru is a neat shop worth checking out along with others in the Fells Point area. Most original pressings and lots of crate digging!

I’ve been to this record shop once… and only once! The first time I visited, I wasn’t aware that the location moved to another area. I called the number listed and some guy, who I assume was the owner, answered. He had a nasty attitude and was pretty disrespectful. To a prospective customer, that was a turn-​off! I was «relieved» to know that others have experienced the same, and that it wasn’t just me.
Once I found the correct location, I went in and the place was a bit disorganized, but they have a fair amount of items to choose from. The young man who was working was very nice and very helpful.
To all owners and representatives, customer service is serious business! It can make or break you!

I don’t get how this store is organized. There are random crates of records all over the floor, wasn’t sure if those were for sale or not, nor was I sure of what genre they were. There was a wrack of records on the side that had a medley of classic rock, jazz, Bowie, Rolling Stone — really haphazard: random tabs denoting artists and genre, but it didn’t seem like it was alphabetized… There were more records in the back that seemed almost to be organized by genre. Almost.
They happened to be having a ½ sale for the holiday, which was nice — make the records very reasonably priced. I also could listen to the records upstairs to check that they were in good condition. Contrary to what other people say, the person who helped me out seemed polite enough.
I really want to like this place… it’s eclectic and sort of has character, as opposed to the stores that have sort of a «big box» feel, but at the same time, I really wish that they would do a better job of organizing things. Sure, it don’t have to be tidy and can keep the slightly messy vibe, but can things at least be organized by genre, if not sort of alphabetized?

I don’t buy records, but my S.O. does, so I’ve come here multiple times.
The owner is condescending, rude, cocky, arrogant, and not a pleasant individual.
The shop smells of mold and weird things.
He has records sitting out, yet he doesn’t sell them because they’re his own collection… even though they are in the ‘for sale’ area.
Why own a shop if you’re not going to sell half of it?
And why patronize your customers for their opinions and questions?
I’m surprised he’s still in business, quite honestly. It may be due to the fact that he has rarities every now and then, but that can’t be enough to go on.
I just don’t like supporting mean people.

Digging in the crates personified…
This spot is nostalgic and way too cool. This is one of the spots that make me appreciate B-​More to the fullest.
My purchases: Best of Minnie Riperton $ 6, Extension of a man Donny Hathaway $ 12, Al Green Live in Tokyo $ 10.
Good Prices in a small grungy filled with all the organized confusion you would expect from a good vinyl store!!!

I’m not entirely sure if this review is attributed to the right place because we never found the Own Guru as listed on this address. What was there, instead, was some kind of clothing boutique. As some of the reviews mention a «secret» entrance, we could just be so unworthy that the Own Guru spirits didn’t deign to make the mystical entrance appear to us. Instead, the place we did find was called Own Guru Too around the corner on Lancaster and I can only assume it’s related.
Sadly, I have to leave a review because, of all the record store visits I made in the span of 3 days as part of my East Coast record buying extravaganza, this was the most frustrating and infuriating experience. In fact, as an avid record-​buyer in general, I have never had such a miserable store visit.
When we entered the shop, we were struck by the overwhelming smell of cat pee. The records were placed haphazardly in milk crates stacked on the floor, some in proper bins. The few things that were organized into categories were strangely filed. Everything was in somewhat rough shape and the prices were too high for their condition and availability. Still, I have loved stores that had all those things going against them because the attitude and knowledge of the staff or the atmosphere were enough to offset any other negatives.
What made me hate this shop were two things. About five minutes after walking in, the man who sat behind the table playing with his phone uttered his first words to us. Directed at my partner, the man barked, «We don’t have any metal!» As it happens, we don’t collect metal. We shopped and dug for quite awhile through the disorganized piles but found nothing that was worthwhile to us (in defense, they did seem to carry quite a bit of jazz and classic rock, but I can’t speak to the selection since that isn’t my bag). The clerk/​owner never spoke another word to us the entire time we were there. Then, on our way out, I thanked the man and he didn’t even acknowledge me.
What’s up with that?! There’s no reason to be such a jerk. Even if you had a worthwhile selection, don’t alienate potential customers by being a dick. The shop isn’t worth your time if you’re in Baltimore. Unless, of course, you’re into assholes and cat piss.

This place is a hole in the wall, a little dirty, and a cat that wanders around and smells like it too. That said, I found it to have a great selection and be much cheaper than close vinyl rival Sound Garden. I recommend it to anyone who is trying to nab a few used albums and isn’t worried about the look of a place over the quality of services offered. I had no interaction with the owner other than on checkout to attest to some of the other reviewers complaints. He did –hand-​write– a receipt, which took him 10 minutes, but I wasn’t in a hurry.
Note: I bought about a dozen used records and the owner gave me 20% off for buying in bulk! So ask about a deal if you’re getting more than a couple and you might walk out with some good finds for a cheap rate.
Second Note: they have a store front on Lancaster Street (even though the address noted says Broadway)

This place was a pleasant surprise! I found out later he had a street front store around the corner — but was glad I went through the back way.
A tiny little gate stated Vinyl Records — press the buzzer. I’m short so I had to jump — but soon a man led me through a tiny alley way to a back door.
It was Vinyl heaven! Everything you could want and more. & he gave me a great deal!
& for being so old school — he takes credit cards & emailed me my receipt. very cool.
If I’m ever in Baltimore again — I’m going to visit!

I loved the exclusivity of walking into the outdoors to get into Own Guru. The slim, brick hallway made me feel like I was being taken to some awesome spot where mint condition records were sold for pennies on the dollar (to the lucky few who dared ring the bell on this gate of Fells Point).
However, the records weren’t in awesome condition. The small space housed vinyls with average wear and tear and average prices. However, the fact that this spot is a vinyl ONLY shop scored big with me. There’s something beautiful in the sound of vinyl and people who value the authenticity of it all. I’m certainly a fan of crate-​diggin’ and the next time I’m in Baltimore, I’ll be stocking up on more gems.
The man running the store told us that there were more rare albums at higher prices at Guru Too. But I’d much-​prefer to hunt for gold within the tight walls of the cheaper spot.

I’m really not sure what previous reviewers are referring to when they describe a tiny alley that looks like a dump outside. Own Guru is right on a beautiful side street off Fells Point, right near Bertha’s. You walk right in off the street (no bell). It’s a small but nicely designed, interesting space filled with record bins. Not enough places like this in the world! This shop is not for people without a special and maybe slightly obscure interest, so don’t go expecting to find exactly what you’re looking for — you may find something even better. When I walked in I felt like a teenager again and it smelled like records (this is a happy thing). Great, eclectic selection and the owner/​proprietor is an ethnomusicological expert. Can’t wait to go back next time I’m in B’more.

Pretentious much?
I mean, I get it. This happens.
You like vinyl, it becomes an obsession, you dedicate your life to it.
I get it.
I’ve gone to record fairs.
I’ve been to dozens of record stores.
I clean my vinyl.
We replace our needles every year.
O.K. I get it.
But the guy who ran this store was just a bit too much.
It seemed like there must be a ton of great stuff here, but I couldn’t tell because he was taking up two sections organizing and filing and chatting with his coworkers.
So yeah, I’d come back to check out whatever they have again because they do have a lot. But I would expect it to be overpriced and I would expect to be belittled.
But ya know, record snobs.

«Hi-​Fidelity» in real life, but miniature.
After walking down the tiny, brick corridor that was made over 100 years ago, you’ll get to what looks like somebody’s back patio. You walk into what looks like a shared washer/​dryer room for the building to which it’s attached. The outside is a dump.
This place is the size of the room you and your kid brother used to share growing up. They have all vinyl, all day. From wall to wall, there are boxes and boxes of vinyl that would make your iPod jealous.
They’ve got punk, OLD hip hop, reggae, new wave, country and classic rock.. I was able to score a Police AND a Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 album for under $ 12.
The entrance to this place is easy to miss, look for the small stand of records on the sidewalk.
Don’t half step. Use the the buzzer *above* the metal grate on the top right to let them know you want to enter.