Del Ray Part One

Some background on what we're doing with the new location.

Last week we finally signed the lease for our new location! Crooked Run’s latest endeavor, our Alexandria taproom, will be located at 2003 Mt Vernon Ave, in the heart of Del Ray, a distinct and charming neighborhood northwest from the Potomac waterfront. I’m extremely excited for this next chapter for our business! We began searching for another location in January of 2025 and first laid eyes on the space in October of last year. It took a bit longer to get to signing than our other spots–we thought we’d be beginning construction months ago, but the ink has dried and we’ve already started breaking ground. I think it will be worth the wait.

I love Del Ray. We’ve performed many tasting events there over the last five years there, and I’ve personally done all of them myself. I enjoy most tasting events, but I’ve especially liked these ones. The residents of Del Ray are some of the nicest people I’ve met. We did some demographic research during location scouting, but mostly it just confirmed what I already knew. At a glance, Del Ray mainly consists of one road, Mt. Vernon Avenue, which is lined with shops and restaurants and flanked by multiple blocks of homes on both sides. Residents are not old but not young: most are age 30-55, and there are lots of new parents. On nice days after work, the streets are alive with smiling couples pushing strollers or with young children in tow. There’s parades and community events throughout the year. It’s a happy place. One of my friends told me he heard the perfect description: “if a farmer’s market became a neighborhood.” I think that’s quite apt. When I’ve poured beer there, the crowds are really into it, and I feel like we will be well received.

Originally, we were interested in opening another Crooked Run/J&J Pizza location. Our DC restaurant location is thriving, and continuing on with that model makes a lot of sense. We encountered a couple of stumbling blocks, however. First, we need a very specific square footage for a taproom and restaurant, and the available spaces weren’t what we were looking for. Second, both Lee and I are coming off of three years of grinding pretty hard, and opening a full restaurant is a major endeavor, let alone the ongoing work of running it. Third, raising capital in the current economic climate is extremely difficult. I could go on about that last one, but basically the stock market has become divorced from reality. Until the market corrects, stocks continue to offer competitive returns vs. investing in a small business. At the same time, main street isn’t doing so hot, so the smaller investors we depend on for a project like this are more risk averse.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so these obstacles got us to pursue another strategy. As of right now, we have three models: Sterling, a central production facility that supplies the others, DC, a mid-sized taproom and full restaurant, and Leesburg, a tiny beer bar. Of the three, Leesburg has the lowest revenue, but also the highest margins. It’s also very easy to staff and supply. The build-out for Leesburg was so bootstrapped that it’s not something we’d ever replicate, but the Del Ray location is pretty much the exact same size, and this time, we’ve got the resources to do it properly. Building, furnishing, and decorating an 800 square foot space is not only easier and less expensive, but it’s also a chance to really make the place look beautiful, since we can afford nicer tables, chairs, and other items. It’s much easier to fill a small space with meaningful artwork and other decorations.

Previously, we’ve not put a ton of effort into design, but we want to change that. A year ago, I told my business partner that it was imperative that he and I learn about it. We did Leesburg and Sterling when we were a lot younger, with limited experience and resources. In today’s difficult and competitive environment, you need not only good food, drink, and service, but also a space that goes beyond just looking fine, or even pretty good. You need your space to create an emotional bridge between you and your patrons. I covered this in a previous post, but basically, successful places create that connection by being an extension of the creator’s personality.

In order to accomplish this, I had a few ideas. First, obviously we needed to hire a designer. We’ve used design firms in the past, but I wanted this time to be different. We had to be ready to approach the designer with a clear conceptual starting point. I spent the last six months compiling examples of furniture and decor, and I also spent a lot of time in Del Ray. I would grab a drink on weeknights, dinner on a Friday, or walk around during the day on Saturday. I wanted to observe and absorb everything. I didn’t want to just put together ideas for any space–they needed to be a concept for this place, specifically.

Second, I needed help beyond a designer. Even using someone locally, members of most design teams aren’t going to be physically present or available throughout the build-out and after. What looks good on paper might not turn out the way you’d hoped. Furthermore, finding art and objects and filling in all the little details usually happens in the intervening years after you open, but what if you could start with some of those touches from day one? For the on-the-ground support, I turned to our friend Monica Alford, who’s helped us on the marketing side. She’s got a great sense of style and is also an Alexandria native. My partner and I aren’t always the hippest when it comes to design, so this has been very helpful.

For the actual build-out, I’m extremely fortunate to work with my business partner Lee, who has seven years’ experience as a project manager for a major construction company before coming on to operate Crooked Run full time. I’ve picked up a bit of know how when it comes to construction and permitting, but working with Lee makes this so much easier. His knowledge and skill set is invaluable and a major reason we’ve been able to accomplish as much as we have.

Besides the decor, there’s another area we wanted to focus our efforts on–the food menu. As I mentioned, the space is only 800 square feet. So while we aren’t going to offer a full menu of NYC-style pizza and wings, we do want to have some good food that goes beyond just bar snacks. For the last four months, I’ve been working hard on creating and testing the menu for Del Ray. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I think it’s going to be great. It’s a list of quintessential bar fare, but just a little bit more elevated and interesting, and it’s all house-made. No frozen, generic Sysco stuff.

Right now, we’re on a pretty good pace to open later this year. We actually were able to submit applications for a lot of permits and licenses before we even signed the lease. We got a head start on lining up subcontractors, and we’ve also got a handle on staffing and a lot of mundane stuff that’s integral to daily operations. I hope it continues to go this well.

I plan to publish a couple of updates during this process, but I don’t want to reveal too much more right now. I’m sure we’ll end up changing more than a few ideas as we draw closer to opening. I’m confident that this is going to be great, though, and I can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on!