Crooked Beat Records will officially close its Del Ray location Sunday, May 3, following the adverse effects of flooding earlier this year.
Owner Bill Daly said in a social media post he has tried to stay in Alexandria and has placed bids on several rental properties in and around the city, though there is a chance the business could move outside Alexandria.
“We’ve either been outbid or they were overpriced,” Daly said in the post. “We’re getting offers from Arlington right now, and they’re looking a lot better with potential. So, hopefully we’re going to find something soon.”
Daly said mold has crept into the store at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue since the flood on Jan. 11, and he and staff have experienced health issues as a result. He also said his insurance claim was denied, and legal fees from a lawsuit would cost $50,000 and take two years to litigate.
“Unfortunately, our last day here will be on May 3,” Daly said. “We’ve really tried to stay here. We really have. We really liked Del Ray, and it really did work out here for us, but it didn’t work out with the building. Water and records don’t mix.”
Crooked Beat Records will be open on Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18. It is typically the busiest day of the year at the store, but the impending closure means the store will have limited quantities of new releases.
“We’re not doing as much as we usually do,” Daly said. “We just didn’t order as much, because we knew we were going to stop in May. A lot of the titles we received so far there’s only ones, twos or threes, so it’s not going to be like previous years where we have 15 to 20 copies of a title.”
Daly moved into the 1,200-square-foot basement space in 2023 after operating in Old Town North for seven years. The shop first opened in 1997 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Del Ray property is managed by Bonaventure and Vest Residential.
Daly also expressed appreciation for the more than $22,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign.
“We appreciate all the people in Del Ray that have supported us and all the people in the DMV,” Daly said. “We really appreciate that. I just wish things worked out better for us.”
Photo 3 via Crooked Beat Records/Facebook
