A Shopaholic’s Retreat
For runway-style fall fashions, start looking here.
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September is an ideal month to spend time at the beach. It’s less humid and hot. There are fewer crowds, and parking is more accessible. You can sun, surf—and shop. But don’t think you’re limited to marked-down shorts, bathing suits and sandals. Like the inland stores, beach boutiques have been offering fall fashions since mid-summer.
“We’re a clothing store that happens to be at the beach,” says Trey Kraus, owner of Carltons (31 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-7990). “We’re influenced by the beach, but in fall, we look like any other great specialty store on the East Coast. The beauty is that we’re tax-free. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, and you might find something here that you can’t find in other towns.”
If you’re looking for fashions from well-known chains, hit the outlets that line Del. 1. Tanger Outlets (36470 Seaside Outlet Drive, Rehoboth, 226-9223) includes Brooks Brothers Factory Store, the Nine West Outlet, Michael Kors, the Ann Taylor Factory Store, Abercrombie & Fitch and Liz Claiborne New York.
For more distinctive items, head into the towns sprinkled along the coast. Definitely expect the unexpected at Josephine’s Daughter (113 Union Square, Milton, 329-9475). “Everything I have is one-of-a-kind,” says owner Deb Wilkins Shiffer. “It really is very eclectic. The store never looks the same twice, from one week to the next.”
Josephine’s Daughter offers accessories, including handmade jewelry, handbags and interesting hats. “We can’t keep them in stock,” Shiffer says of the chapeaux. You may spot a clothing item, such as a tapestry jacket made by local artist Carolyn Godfrey. Some items are new. Others are vintage. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” Shiffer says.
Clothing is a family affair in Lewes, where Josh Barr recently opened Shorebreak (115 Savannah Road, Lewes, 645-8488) in a renovated building not far from The Beach Jetty (123 Second St., Lewes, 645-4606), the women’s boutique owned by his mother, Maryanne Barr. Shorebreak is strictly men’s clothing and accessories, which is an anomaly in Lewes—if not the entire beach area.
“I always had the idea, and because my mom has had a business downtown, I was familiar with what’s involved in having a business in this location,” Barr says. “When this space became available, I decided to give it a shot.”
Barr focuses on outdoor clothing and sports clothes. Lines include Columbia, Life is Good, Southern Tide and Sanuk sandals and shoes. There are more khakis and cargos than jeans.
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