by Barry Becker
Well, the heat of summer is finally here, and were all looking for ways to stay cool. But staying cool is more than an issue of controlling sweat, its a state of mind. In this issue, were going to advise you on the many ways to stay cool at the beach. Actually, Rehoboth is so full of cool things that well do a second column on Cool in the August 8 issue. But for now...
Look Cool
The first stage of looking cool is, of course, cool shades. Shades are so central to looking cool that you can get away with bad hair and a host of crimes against fashion if youve got great shades. Fortunately, you can find cool shades in every style, contour, frame color, lens tint and price range at E.C. SHADES (62 Rehoboth Ave.). They carry more than two dozen brandsif you cant find a pair of shades here, you should think about moving to, oh, maybe, Greenland, where its nighttime half the year and you wont have to worry about the sun.
Then, its on to SGT. PEPPER (139 Rehoboth Ave.) Bell bottoms, army surplus, worn denim jeans, great shirts and shorts, jackets, knapsacks... its all here. Looking for cool shoes? Check out the Dr. Martens, Skechers and other great brands. People will point at you on the street and say stuff like, "Hey, cool shoes. Whered you get em?" Sgt. Pepper, of course!
Play Cool
What better place to stay cool than the ocean! But before you jump in, stock up on some "play cool" beach supplies at REHOBOTH SPORT AND KITE (67 Rehoboth Ave. or their store Virginia Ave. and Boardwalk location) where youll find a selection of bodyboards to ride the waves in style, lots of kites to learn to fly, all sorts of flying toys to play with on the beach, as well as some cool beach chairs. Not heading to the beach? Check out the rollerblades...you can buy or rent them here. AIR TRAFFIC (149 Rehoboth Ave., in the Village by the Sea Shops) carries a fun line of kites and other beach gadgets and bodyboards.
Dont forget to take your inner child to the beach with you! Pick up some big plastic pails, shovels, sand trucks and other great beach playthings at one of these shops, or at REHOBOTH PHARMACY (107 Rehoboth Ave.).
Stay Cool
Frosty beverages are one of the great pleasures of summer, and Rehoboths fabulous coffee houses serve more than great hot coffee, they know how to cool you down as well. At DREAM CAFE (26 Baltimore Ave.) you can chill out with a Frosty Dream (blenderized espresso, milk, and ice with one of over 2 dozen flavors of syrup added); a fruit shake (addictive combinations of bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples and crushed ice); milk shakes; or a fresh fruit spritzer. Also this year the Dream team is serving homemade premium ice cream (like yummy triple chocolate), sorbet (in flavors such as mango or strawberry) and frozen yogurt (black raspberry and more). While youre here getting cool check out one of their nearly 2 dozen incredible frozen desserts, like the tiramisu flown in from Italy. Also, make sure you try their new Morning Glory muffins. Ive eaten many muffins with the same name, but theirs is most definitely the glory-est.
Meanwhile, over at the new LA PETIT CAFE (on Wilmington Ave.), just steps off the boardwalk), Mocha Glaciers are keeping customers happy every day (espresso, lowfat milk and blenderized ice), but there are also daily frozen specials like vanilla glaciers, frosted mandarin orange cappucinos, and other flavors to keep you cool. Frosted lattes, various flavors of fresh brewed iced tea and iced coffee, as well as a wide variety of refreshing fruit juices round out the beverages here. The Cafe is open from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and serves a great assortment of sandwiches and salads, along with a showcase of mouth watering pastries for breakfast. Check out that chocolate raspberry supreme!
Own Cool Things
L.A. Connection
Now that were looking cool and feeling cool, its time to go shopping for cool things. Hey, Ive got a great idea! I found myself saying "cool" so many times in the relocated L.A. CONNECTION (127 Rehoboth Ave.) that I think they should change their name to L.A. COOLECTION. There are showcases of cool watches of every style and price range. The eclectic and beautiful selection of tasteful and fun gift items scattered about the store include colorful paper maiche smiling suns and laughing globes to hang on your wall, cool vases, candles, candle holders, body lotions and bath salts, chunky blocks of soap (grapefruitmy favorite!), coffee mugs, gift books, notecard collections, clocks, beautiful picture frames, and unique jewelry. It seems like everything is for sale here, from the model planes and leather luggage to the display cabinets for all the merchandise (more on them in a second). Finally, there are the racks of smart, comfortable clothing for summer at the beach, hip cotton dresses and cool clothes for women, and cool cotton shirts and shorts for guys. All cool merchandise and the most friendly, helpful staff make for a great shopping experience!
Now, about those display cabinets by Nutty Pine. If, like me, you go nutty over unique furniture and colors that scream so boldly you almost go deaf, well, youll be hauled off in a strait jacket (thats strait jacket, not straight jacket). There are two display cabinets here that blew me away (the others are merely gorgeous). One, a long console cabinet stained a glorious blue, has square doors of glow-in-the- dark quality green, yellow and orange, with red highlights that is so over the top. The other cabinet is shaped like a large, slimmed down Victrola painted a cool light watermelon shade of red/ orange/pink, and the doors are a vine pattern of huge vibrant tropical green leaves. There are other cabinets in the store, as well as a catalog at the counter which you simply must check out to see the rest of this incredible furniture.
Stone Heart
Now, lets head over to another store chock full of cool. At STONE HEART (29 Baltimore Ave.) where whimsy, color and creativity combine in beautiful ways, you have to look up, down and all around to find all the cool treasures and gifts packed away. High on the wall are unique metal coat racks shaped like big fish, whose exposed ribs serve as the coat hooks. Colorful, fun mobiles in geometric shapes are suspended from the ceiling, as well as hot air balloons of lime and pink which are actually large Creatures of Delight, a new line of hot tub playthings that look like all sorts of monsters and creatures.
Stone Heart is the exclusive location to find Brian Andreas art in lower Delaware. If youve never experienced his work, RUN to the store now. His colorful stick figure drawings combined with one of a multitude of sayings or stories may be experienced as a story board, which is a large wooden painted piece of art, as a matted print, or in one of his four black and white print books. I guarantee theres at least one of his works that will stop your heart with its honesty and truth.
Unique and gorgeous jewelry fills showcases, while a fabulous new line from Bad Hair Design features Lucy and Ethel earrings and pins, as well as jewelry with characters from Star Trek, the Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, and more. Check out the Bride of Frankenstein earrings!
And then, of course, there are my new favorite things: the coolest razors on earth, made of metal or resin, and shaped like fish, dogs, cats, bunnies, rakes (complete with leaves), lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners... how can you not own one of these?? Theyre great fun, and beautiful works of art, besides!
If candles are your thing, the votive holders here add new dimension to creative candle lighting. My favorites: a round clay pot with dozens of green glass marble-sized beads imbedded in it, and a white plaster one with chunks of green and clear glass in different shapes and sizes.
Color is the key here: a mirror frame is painted yellow with happy blue fish painted all around it. Pots for plants are painted bright pink with green hearts and yellow trim, and there are painted candle holders, colored glass block tables in various sizes, color tiles and glassware. Shopping at Stone Heart? Its cool!
Next issue: Those fabulous shops of Baltimore Avenue!
Barry Becker is a regular columnist for LETTERS. He was admonished in college English composition for using too many creative, colorful and wordy adjectives, and 20 years later he still does.
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7/11/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.