Mojomala Book And Record Store Opens In New Silver Spring Location

SILVER SPRING, MD — Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff held a grand reopening on Saturday for its new location in downtown Silver Spring.

The shop's new location is near Silver Branch Brewing Co. and steps from the Silver Spring Metro Station in the Silver Spring Metro Plaza building at 8401 Colesville Road.

At Saturday's grand reopening, customers were lining up at the register, purchasing vinyl records, books, comics and other merchandise.

"Silver Spring Metro Plaza is a great location for us. We are thrilled to be neighbors with Silver Branch brewery and 9Round gym and hope we can further make the plaza a destination point," Mojomala owner Michael Abate told Patch. "There’s a natural connection between our audience and Silver Branch's."

After starting out as an online-only business two years ago, Mojomala moved into the Analog Market on Gist Avenue in Silver Spring in July 2022.

Abate had amassed an impressive collection of record albums, clothing and books that he wanted to sell in a curated fashion in a bricks-and-mortar location in Silver Spring.

After more than a year housed at the Analog Market, Abate then decided to seek a new location for the shop closer to the downtown area. He had always planned to open a standalone shop, and working with the Analog Market was seen as the first step toward that goal.

"We see Silver Spring as a cultural destination and would love folks to see us as a start- or end-point of their visit to the area," Abate said. "In terms of the look and feel of the space, I was inspired by some of the book stores and record shops we visited in Berlin and Paris. We see the store as a boutique that highlights some of our offerings while having the full inventory available online at Mojomala.com."

Abate came up with the name for Mojomala by combining two letters from each of his family members' names: “M” and “O” from his daughter Madeleine Olivia, “Jo” from his younger daughter Josephine, “M” and “A” from his own name and the “L” and “A” from his wife Laura’s name.

Mojomala plans to host in-store discussions and small performances at the new location at 8401 Colesville Rd. #140 in Silver Spring. Along with its location next to the entrance to the Silver Spring Metro, public parking is located nearby, including at the corner of Cameron Street and 2nd Avenue.

"Metro riders can stop in on the way home to pick up a last-minute gift or grab a book for their next morning’s commute," Abate said. "And being steps away from the Silver Spring metro station makes it easy for people from out of the area to find us."

Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff is open 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

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