'Love Your Stuff': Silver Spring Shop Sells Curated Books, Records

SILVER SPRING, MD — Located off the beaten track in Silver Spring’s central business district, Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff has been attracting local residents as well as customers from D.C. and Virginia to its store since early July.

An avid collector since he was a young boy, Mojomala’s owner, Michael Abate, has amassed an impressive collection of record albums, clothing and books. Many of the items he had previously made available online can now be purchased in-person at reasonable prices at Mojomala, his curated store in downtown Silver Spring.

Abate believes it's his curation of the merchandise that makes his store stand out from the crowd. “What I’ve heard from customers is, ‘This is amazing. Every place I look, there’s something that’s interesting. It may not always be for me, but it’s cool,’” Abate told Patch. “None of it is trash. It’s all quality stuff.”

After starting out as an online-only business in January, Abate met with David Fogel, owner of Bump 'n Grind, in May, who was planning to bring his Analog Market pop-up concept to downtown Silver Spring in July for a six-month run.

Abate wanted to add a bricks-and-mortar component to his online business and thought the Analog Market would be a perfect fit.

When they met over Memorial Day weekend at the Analog Market’s test run, Fogel described his idea for the market as a place to build a community of like-minded people who are interested in the arts, music and books.

“I told him about my ideas for wanting to start a brick-and-mortar store but that I wasn’t quite there yet, and he thought this would be a good test run for me,” Abate said.

Fogel agreed to rent space to Abate’s Mojomala at his six-month pop-up that kicked off July 2 at 923 Gist Ave.

“I had this concept bouncing around in the brain and thought we’d try it out and see how the community reacted. It went well,” Fogel said about the successful Memorial Day test run. “People are into collectibles, nostalgia, unique spaces, spaces that are different, and they help to create a sense of place."

Fogel said he and Abate were hanging out at the Memorial Day test run of the Analog Market. “I was hearing his story. And then I told him about this place and asked if he’d like to try with his store. He’s really taken to it,” he said.

Earlier this year, Fogel found the house on Gist Avenue, which is zoned commercially, and the deal was right to start renting it. “The goal is to buy it at the end of the year and turn it into Bump and Grind’s forever home and still have the second floor remain a place for synergistic small businesses,” he said.

Although the building is part of Silver Spring’s central business district, it’s a little off the beaten path of where most people go. “But being off the beaten path is where I belong, and I kind of like it there,” Vogel told Patch.

A Curated Collection Of Quality Stuff

After more than two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, business experts are seeing that people are more prone to shop in-store because they have a hunger for in-person experiences and getting away from their computers and the virtual world.

At his store, Abate said he is seeing a lot of return customers. "I’m conscious of that. I don’t want people to come back and say, 'These are the same records I saw last week,'" he said.

One return customer, Liz, told Patch she liked the store for its "Great record selection, and it’s a really cool space."

Browsing on a recent Sunday afternoon, Michael, a first-time customer, said he "scours records all over the world" and appreciated Mojomala's selection. "The weirder, the better," he said.

Another customer said he found an advertisement for the Analog Market on Facebook. As for Mojomala, he appreciated the "good collection of stuff" and how the merchandise is "priced well, too."

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.

According to Abate, Mojomala's tagline, "Love your stuff," came about for two reasons. "Primarily, I want people to enjoy what they own. I’m not a fan of collecting as a financial investment. Play with your toys, read your comics, listen to your LPs — don’t just slab them in plastic and store them away for your kid’s college fund," he said.

Abate also emphasized that society often shames people who have lots of possessions. "In general, it’s OK to surround yourself with books, records, artwork, or whatever makes you feel good," he said. "I like a cozy room filled with books on the shelves, art on the walls and LPs propped against the stereo cabinet. I’m the anti-Marie Kondo in that way."

Or, as Marie Kondo would say, "Does it bring you joy?"

When the pop-up series at the location ends in December, Abate will have a decision to make. "It’s a little unclear, but I plan to continue after this year either here or in another local spot," he said.

Through December, Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff is open weekends, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 923 Gist Ave., 2nd Floor, in Silver Spring.