After 27 years in Rehoboth, Superkind opens in Dewey

After 27 years of calling Rehoboth Beach home, Superkind owner Tim Duffy said the timing was right to set up shop in Dewey.

"I've been wanting to move to Dewey for 20 years," he said. "Dewey has changed a lot over the years, and it's ready for something like this."

What "this" is, is a head shop with a wide selection of pipes, incense sticks, jewelry, wood carvings, used records, imported clothing, soaps, perfumes and other various items.

Duffy said he misses his Rehoboth neighbors, but Superkind's new home – Izzy Plaza at 2101 Coastal Highway – is bringing in a new kind of customer. The two locations are only a mile apart, but the customers are very different, he said.

Duffy said he got in the business after he graduated from college in 1987, when he became a Deadhead and began following the Grateful Dead around as the jam band toured. He said he made money by making and selling thousands of friendship bracelets. He estimates he's made millions of bracelets at this point.

Duffy said he first visited the Rehoboth/Dewey area in 1988, and he said he knew immediately he'd own a business here. Shortly afterward, he opened up a shop and moved permanently from the New Jersey shore.

"It's just a great place to live and work," he said. "Now, I'm just moving a little further south. At some point, I might end up in Florida, if I ever grow up."

Duffy said the Dewey store will offer many of the same items as the Rehoboth store, but new customers want new things, he said, and he'll be continually working on adjusting merchandise.

Duffy said one of the benefits of Izzy Plaza is a small off-street parking lot that's free, and DART and Jolly Trolley bus stops in front.

For now, said Duffy, the year round store is open at 10 a.m., seven days a week. He said closing time depends on when customers stop coming in for the day. For more information, Superkind has a website, superkind.com, which leads visitors straight to a Superkind Facebook page.