Around Town

Crooked Beat Records aims for August reopening at new home in Del Ray

By James Cullum
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Crooked Beat Records is staying in Del Ray.

Store owner Bill Daly announced on Tuesday (June 30) that the record store is expected to open at its new 2101B Mount Vernon Avenue location in August. Daly and his staff were forced to close their previous basement location up the street at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue after significant flooding in January.

Daly said that a longtime supporter bought the building at 2101B Mount Vernon Avenue. It’s a two-story townhouse with 950 square feet, and has been vacant for more than a decade, according to neighbors.

“This is going to be our new location,” Daly said. “It’s going to have an upstairs and a downstairs and that’s different for us.”

Crooked Beat Records first opened in 1997 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The shop moved into the Del Ray in 2023 after operating in Old Town for seven years. Daly said that he and his staff will make significant interior renovations.

“We’ll figure this out,” Daly said. “We’ll be doing what we do best. We’ll be selling records and getting records in real soon.”

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.