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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Crooked Beat Records is returning to Del Ray.
The beloved independent vinyl shop announced Tuesday it will reopen at 2101B Mount Vernon Ave., just 128 feet from the record store that Neighborhood Restaurant Group announced the same day it plans to open this summer — setting the stage for what could become a vinyl destination block on Mount Vernon Avenue.
In a video posted to social media Tuesday afternoon, owner Bill Daly said a longtime supporter of the shop — a customer of nearly three decades — purchased a building and closed on it Tuesday, with Crooked Beat set to rent the space from her.
"She just wanted Crooked Beat to keep going," Daly said. "And we are really appreciative of that."
Daly said the new location will be different from the store's previous basement-level space at 2417 Mt. Vernon Ave., which closed May 3 after a January rainstorm caused flooding that damaged hundreds of records. The new shop will have both a ground floor and an upstairs level, and Daly said the team has significant work to do before opening.
"We're going to be street level," he said. "We won't be in the basement. We hope to open in August."
The announcement came hours after Neighborhood Restaurant Group founder Michael Babin revealed plans to open a record store at 2016 Mount Vernon Ave. in the space being vacated by children's play café Mulberry Lane, which closes July 3. Babin had noted in his announcement that Daly might return to the neighborhood, writing, "two stores on the Ave would be amazing."
It now appears that's exactly what Del Ray will get.
Ryan Belmore
