PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A major change is coming to the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk.
Anybody who has been to Rehoboth Beach is familiar with Dolle’s Candyland. Maybe you’ve never been inside the store, but you’ve seen the massive orange Dolle’s sign that sits on top that’s a boardwalk fixture.
But that’s all about to change.
“The basic thing is we’re moving from the location we’ve been in since 1927,” owner Thomas Ibach told to KYW Newsradio. “We’re moving down the street to 9 Rehoboth Avenue, which is basically 50 feet away.”
It’s not a far move, but Ibach has mixed feelings about it as his grandparents were the ones who opened the shop 93 years ago on the boardwalk.
“It’s kind of an emotional thing in that respect,” he said, “for the attachment to the building here and the business. But on the other hand, I think we will do better at a smaller, little but more efficient location.”
The final decision to move came to the building’s owners raising the rent to a number he didn’t want to pay.
There’s no set time for the new store to open, but Ibach expects it’ll happen sometime before winter is over.
So that leaves the question: what happens to the Dolle’s sign now?
“We’re working with the city right now to try to move that sign to the other location,” Ibach said. “People are pretty upset about the sign, they didn’t want the sign to disappear.”
But even after he’s firmly settled into his new stores, he said the Dolle’s sign technically can stay where it is for a full year.
“For right now, it is staying put,” he added. “People that are running the city, I think, are very sympathetic. The sign is sort of an iconic portion of Rehoboth and I’m sure they want to keep it there and I’m sure they’re going to try their best to keep it here.”
Still, Ibach said keeping the sign where it is forever would be misleading. His goal is to have it on his new store at some point.
Either way, he wants customers to know they’re still going to have the same “goodies” they’ve always had.
“And I also want to thank them for the outpouring of support during this time. I never expected the reaction I got and I’m very grateful for all their support,” he added.
Dolle’s is open year-round, so if you find yourself in Rehoboth Beach and the sign is still in its original spot, snap a photo just in case.