At 2016 Mount Vernon Avenue, the space that was Mulberry Lane Play Café now holds bins of new releases and used vinyl, and it shares the room with Shorty's Deluxe sandwich shop. Across the avenue, a two-story townhouse at 2101B that neighbors say sat empty for more than a decade is a record store now. And at 2003, the former Dolce & Bean space reopened in late summer as a beer lounge.
All three arrived between late August and late September. Taken one at a time, each looks like ordinary turnover. Together, they show a short stretch of Mount Vernon Avenue becoming a single stop, and the record shop owners involved say they welcome the company.
Two Record Shops, One Minute Apart
Mobius Records opened Saturday, Sept. 12. Mobius is not new to Northern Virginia. Owner Dempsey Hamilton has run it on Fairfax City's Main Street since 2014, and the Del Ray store is a partnership with Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Crooked Beat Records reopened two weeks later, on the weekend of Sept. 25, at 2101B.
The Alexandria Brief put the gap between the two at roughly 128 feet, on opposite sides of the avenue, about a one-minute walk.
NRG principal Michael Babin told ALXnow that he reached out to Crooked Beat owner Bill Daly right away about the second shop: "He said the more the merrier, and it'll only make it more of a destination, which is exactly what we thought."
Crooked Beat has deep roots in the neighborhood's record scene. The store started in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1997, spent seven years in Old Town North, and moved to Del Ray in 2023. Its first Del Ray home was a basement up the street at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue. Water damage in January forced the move, and the shop closed that space in May. As the Alexandria Brief reported, a longtime customer bought the building at 2101B and the shop now rents it. In a social media video quoted by ALXnow, Daly described the new space as "like the Twilight Zone, same colors, same atmosphere."
What Each Stop on the Block Offers Right Now
The two shops don't stock the same mix, and the taproom across the street gives you a place to sit between them. Here's how the block looks as of mid-October.
| Address | Spot | What's there | Hours posted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Mount Vernon Ave. | Mobius Records | New releases, reissues and used records on vinyl, CD and cassette, plus merch and accessories | Check the Mobius site; only opening-weekend hours were published |
| 2101B Mount Vernon Ave. | Crooked Beat Records | The longtime Del Ray record shop in a 950-square-foot townhouse | "Soft open" hours: Mon. 1 to 7 p.m., closed Tue. and Wed., Thu. and Fri. noon to 7 p.m., Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sun. noon to 6 p.m. |
| 2003a Mount Vernon Ave. | Crooked Run Fermentation | Small lounge-style bar with beer, wine, cocktails and bar snacks; dog-friendly, with shaded outdoor seats | Mon. to Thu. 3 to 9 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
The Crooked Run room is compact. ALXnow counted more than 20 seats inside and eight outside. The snack menu is short and casual, with chicken tenders, pita and hummus, and mozzarella sticks. Crooked Beat still calls its schedule a soft open, so check its homepage before making a special trip.
The Corner Built Around a Record Bin
Mobius didn't land on an empty corner. NRG already runs Evening Star Cafe and Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ at 2000 Mount Vernon Avenue and Planet Wine at 2004, so the new shop sits among a group of businesses that share an owner. The Mobius and NRG partnership goes back more than a decade. It includes an annual Record Store Day beer and pop-up appearances at NRG's Snallygaster festival.
That shared ownership is why the record shop's calendar spills into the rest of the corner. Plans call for DJ nights and live performances next door at Evening Star Café, and for Record Store Day events in the Hi/Fi Tex-Mex courtyard. Shorty's Deluxe is also growing, with a larger menu, evening hours and café seating, and Evening Star marks its 29th anniversary this year.
The Mobius events calendar shows how this works in practice. Several listings are at No. 9 Lounge, the room inside Evening Star Cafe at 2000 Mount Vernon Avenue. Upcoming dates:
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.: Olivia Tremor Control listening party, free, all ages
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 8:30 p.m.: Darkest Hour listening party at No. 9 Lounge, free, all ages
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.: NØ Man record release show at No. 9 Lounge, $15, all ages
Halloween Week Fills the Same Street
The block is new, and the coming days will bring some of the year's biggest crowds onto the avenue it sits on. The Del Ray Business Association calls Halloween its favorite holiday. This year is the 30th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade, which the DRBA notes was named one of the 10 best in the country by USA Today.
The parade steps off Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. It runs along Mount Vernon Avenue from E. Bellefonte Avenue to the Mount Vernon Rec Center field, where live music and awards are planned. To march with a stroller, wagon or group, check in at Mount Vernon and Howell starting at 1 p.m. and register by 1:30 p.m. The DRBA lists no fee for the stroller and wagon contest. Motorized vehicles and motorized floats aren't allowed. The contest categories, per the DRBA parade page:
- Strollers, wagons, groups and floats: Creative, Humorous, Less is More, and Overall
- Pets: Creative, Team, How Could You Do This To Me?, and the Vola Lawson Best of Show, with pet registration by 1:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon and E. Howell
The parade isn't the only Halloween event on the avenue. The DRBA scavenger hunt sends players looking for Halloween items hidden in decorated businesses and hand-painted windows, and five entries will be drawn for $50 gift cards. Nightmare on the Avenue, the seasonal setup at Del Ray Pop-Up Bar at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue, serves Halloween-themed drinks and bites through Sunday, Nov. 1, with a party planned for Saturday, Oct. 31. Up at 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, the Del Ray Artisans Gallery is showing its Carnival of Curiosities exhibit through Oct. 31.
A good parade-day plan starts on the 2000 block. Crooked Beat posts noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, and the parade check-in at Howell opens at 1 p.m.
The Calendar After the Costumes Come Off
Del Ray's season keeps going after Halloween, and much of it happens within a few blocks of the new shops.
- Saturdays, Oct. 24 through Dec. 26: Del Ray Farmers' Market at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, every week, including Oct. 31 and Nov. 28
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market at Mount Vernon and Bellefonte avenues, and the Gustave Art & Craft Market at Gustave Jardin, 2213 Mount Vernon Avenue
- Thursday, Nov. 26: the Alexandria Turkey Trot, organized by DC Road Runners and the DRBA, starting and finishing at George Washington Middle School, per Alexandria Living Magazine
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Holiday Season Kick-Off at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square
- Thursday, Dec. 10: Shops of Del Ray Holiday Sip & Shop along Mount Vernon Avenue
- Saturday, Dec. 12: the 11th Annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl, on the same day as December's Vintage & Flea Market
More is coming farther up the avenue. Hypergoat Coffee Roasters has announced a second cafe at 2423B Mount Vernon Avenue. As of August, the buildout was in its early stages and no opening date had been set. Event details can change, and Alexandria Living's fall guide makes the same point, so check with each organizer before heading out.
Thinking about selling a home within walking distance of Mount Vernon Avenue? Listing photos and video work best when they show the shops and corners you can walk to, like the record bins at 2016 or the patio at 2003. Hoban Real Estate Group builds that kind of neighborhood story into every listing. Book a white‑glove consultation and we'll talk about how to present your home and its part of Del Ray.
