Crooked Beat Records to close Mt. Vernon Avenue location, plans new store
Last day at Del Ray shop will be Jan. 31
Crooked Beat Records announced Saturday it will close its Del Ray location at the end of the month, less than two weeks after flooding damaged hundreds of vinyl records at the basement-level shop.
The store’s last day at 2417 Mt. Vernon Ave. will be Saturday, Jan. 31, according to an Instagram post. Owner Bill Daly cited “unfortunate circumstances” but did not elaborate.
“We will announce a new location soon,” the post said.
In a video, Daly said the store “really loves Del Ray.”
The store will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week before closing.
Crooked Beat has been at the Del Ray location since July 2023, when it relocated from Old Town North after that building was slated for demolition. The store occupied a 1,200-square-foot basement space between Piece Out and Cheesetique.
On Jan. 11, Daly posted video showing several inches of water covering the store floor after heavy rains the day before. He said hundreds of records were damaged, including a Pink Floyd box set and a rare Bob Dylan album.
Daly said at the time that a maintenance crew sent by the landlord left after saying they would submit a work order, and the water continued to rise. He said he was seeking legal representation in Virginia.
Daly founded Crooked Beat in 1997 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The store operated in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood for 12 years before moving to Alexandria in 2016.
Crooked Beat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.