Why would a restaurant group open a record store one block from an established record store, while that shop was still unpacking into its new home?
Neighborhood Restaurant Group asked itself that question this summer and decided the answer was simple. Mobius Records opened at 2016 Mount Vernon Avenue on Sept. 12. Crooked Beat Records reopened two weeks later at 2101B, across the avenue. The Alexandria Brief measured the gap between the two shops at about 128 feet, or roughly a one-minute walk. Add the taproom that opened in late August and the restaurants NRG already runs on the same stretch, and one short piece of Mount Vernon Avenue now works as a single afternoon. Each business does better because the others are nearby.
"The More the Merrier"
NRG principal Michael Babin told ALXnow that he called Crooked Beat owner Bill Daly as soon as the Mobius plan took shape.
"I reached out to him immediately," Babin said. "He said the more the merrier, and it'll only make it more of a destination, which is exactly what we thought."
Mobius isn't new to record buyers in Northern Virginia. Owner Dempsey Hamilton has run the original Mobius on Main Street in Fairfax City since 2014. The Del Ray store is a partnership with NRG that includes founder Michael Babin, Evening Star Café chef Nathan Anda and beverage director Greg Engert. According to The Alexandria Brief, it grew out of more than a decade of joint projects, including an annual Record Store Day beer and pop-up appearances at NRG's Snallygaster festival. The Alexandria shop carries the same mix as the Fairfax store: new releases, reissues and used records across genres, on vinyl, CD and cassette.
The space at 2016 used to be Mulberry Lane Play Café, and Mobius shares it with Shorty's Deluxe, NRG's sandwich shop. You can stop in for records and stay for a sandwich, or the other way around.
The Incumbent Moved Closer
Crooked Beat didn't plan to end up a block from a competitor. Flooding in January damaged inventory in its basement shop at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue, and the store closed there on May 3. In June the shop announced that a longtime customer had bought the building at 2101B Mount Vernon Avenue and that Crooked Beat would rent the space.
The move took Crooked Beat about three blocks north, onto the same stretch where NRG was building its record shop. Daly told ALXnow the new store was "like the Twilight Zone, same colors, same atmosphere." The Crooked Beat website still calls its schedule "Soft Open Hours": Monday 1 to 7 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday noon to 7 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. If you're planning a midweek crate dig, check those hours before you go.
The Block, Address by Address
Here's what now sits within a couple of minutes' walk of the two record shops:
| Address | Business | What it adds to the block |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 Mount Vernon Ave. | Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ | NRG restaurant with a courtyard planned for Record Store Day events |
| NRG block | Evening Star Cafe | Planned home for Mobius DJ nights and live sets, marking its 29th year |
| 2003 Mount Vernon Ave. | Crooked Run Fermentation | Taproom with shaded outdoor seating, dogs welcome |
| 2004 Mount Vernon Ave. | Planet Wine | NRG wine shop |
| 2016 Mount Vernon Ave. | Mobius Records and Shorty's Deluxe | Records, CDs, cassettes, merch and sandwiches under one roof |
| 2101B Mount Vernon Ave. | Crooked Beat Records | The relocated incumbent, across the avenue |
Crooked Run Fermentation is the newest piece that isn't owned by NRG. The taproom officially opened Aug. 28 at 11:30 a.m. Co-founder Lee Rogan told ALXnow that it would pour beer, wine and cocktails alongside chicken tenders, pita and hummus, and mozzarella sticks, and called the goal "just a local neighborhood spot." The Crooked Run Del Ray page lists weekday hours of 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. With two record shops a few doors apart, it's the natural place to sit down and look over what you just bought.
Why the Record Shops Lean on the Bars
Mobius doesn't plan to keep its events inside its own walls. According to The Alexandria Brief, the plans include DJ nights and live performances at Evening Star Café next door and Record Store Day events in the Hi/Fi Tex-Mex courtyard. Shorty's Deluxe is adding a larger menu, evening hours and café seating at the same time, which extends the shared space at 2016 into the evening.
The Mobius Records ALX calendar shows what that looks like in practice. The Darkest Hour "Suffer Divine" listening party runs from 8:30 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, at No. 9 Lounge on Mount Vernon Avenue. The shop's NØ MAN record-release show on Nov. 12 is also listed at No. 9 Lounge. A record store that books its events at a lounge down the street is counting on the block to do part of the hosting. Babin's "more of a destination" logic applies to the bars as much as to the two record shops.
Black Friday Is the First Real Test
Record Store Day's Black Friday drop falls on Nov. 27 this year, and it will be Crooked Beat's first one at 2101B. Crooked Beat is already taking customer requests for Black Friday titles through its website. In Fairfax City, the Mobius flagship has posted its own Black Friday hours and event procedures on its Record Store Day page. For Del Ray details, watch the Alexandria shop's Instagram, @mobiusrecordsalx, which is where Mobius posted its opening-weekend updates.
With the shops about a minute apart, a single trip covers both, and Crooked Run and the NRG kitchens are right there when the lines thin out.
The Rest of the Avenue Is Still Shifting
The record-shop block isn't the only part of Mount Vernon Avenue that changed this year:
- Hypergoat Coffee Roasters is in early buildout on a second Alexandria location at 2423B Mount Vernon Avenue, with adjacent space at 2423A. Co-owners Rodrigo Ramos and Deborah Joos hadn't given an opening estimate as of ALXnow's August report.
- The Dog Store at 2301 Mount Vernon Avenue first announced a June closing. Owner Paul Haire later told ALXnow that the lease had been extended through Jan. 6, 2027, while he looks for another Del Ray storefront.
- Little Birdie opened in June at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue, farther south. Its owners, Matt Sloan and Eric Brannon, also run Matt & Tony's across the street, so this end of the avenue has its own same-owner pairing, as ALXnow reported.
What's on the Calendar Through December
The Del Ray Business Association calendar lines up with the record-shop block for the rest of the year:
- Saturdays through Dec. 26: Del Ray Farmers' Market at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square.
- Nov. 12: Mobius's NØ MAN record-release show at No. 9 Lounge.
- Nov. 14: Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market at Mount Vernon and Bellefonte Avenues, plus the Gustave Art & Craft Market at 2213 Mount Vernon Avenue.
- Nov. 27: Record Store Day Black Friday, with Crooked Beat taking title requests ahead of time.
- Dec. 6, 6 p.m.: Del Ray Holiday Season Kick-Off at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, with tree and Menorah lighting and a luminaria stroll along Mount Vernon Avenue.
- Dec. 10: Shops of Del Ray Holiday Sip & Shop along Mount Vernon Avenue. Hours haven't been posted yet.
- Dec. 12: The 11th Annual Del Ray Candy Cane Bar Crawl, 12:30 to 6 p.m., on the same day as the December Vintage & Flea Market.
December 12 is the busiest day on that list. The flea market, the bar crawl and two record shops within a minute of each other all share one stretch of the avenue that afternoon.
We keep track of storefront changes like these on Mount Vernon Avenue and across Alexandria. If you'd like to talk about how Del Ray's changing storefronts fit into your own plans, The Alliance Group would be glad to help. Book a Private Consultation with our team.
