J. Conn Scott Showhouse in Rehoboth Beach closing
After two decades of staging a 150-year-old beach cottage to show off its high-quality furniture and design options, J. Conn Scott has announced it’s closing the Showhouse on Baltimore Avenue in downtown Rehoboth Beach. The store will be closed by the end of the month.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Richard Scott, sitting with wife Lisa. Richard is company president and grandson to company founder J. Conn Scott. Lisa has been operating the Showhouse since it opened. “We love this house, but it’s time to put all of our energy in the company’s two other locations.”
J. Conn Scott’s original showroom opened in Selbyville in 1924, making it one of the oldest continually family-owned furniture companies in the United States. The company expanded with the Showhouse in April 2002 and expanded again in 2018 with a second Cape Region location on Route 1 outside Rehoboth.
Located on the northeast corner of Baltimore Avenue and North First Street, the two-story Showhouse featured 1,300 square feet of retail and a design studio on the first floor. There is real living space on the second floor. Richard and Lisa have used the Showhouse as a life-sized doll house to advertise its eclectic collection. The goal was to change the setups in different rooms every week so there was always something new, said Richard. It was a great way for new customers to see what the company offered, he said.
Lisa added that the idea was people could come in, see how a room was designed and then purchase everything in that room.
“And there were times that customers did just that,” she said.
For the most part, Richard said, the downtown location is closing because it’s a quality-of-life issue. It’s not about working less, he said, adding that he still drives to Selbyville every day to check on that store.
Lisa agreed, adding that parking was also part of the consideration. The demand for design services has continued to grow and offering those in-person consultations is easier for customers at the Route 1 location, she said.
“We’re just worn out. Having three locations has been a lot of hard work,” she said.
The beach cottage has a decades-old history as a retail location. Prior to the Showhouse, Ross Alexander owned and operated his Joss gifts business for decades.
“I still love this house and I’m going to miss it,” said Lisa. “It will be interesting to see what happens here in the future.”
The furniture store’s Route 1 location, off Camelot Drive behind M&T Bank, has become the company’s primary location for the Cape Region. There are no plans to close that location, Richard said.
“We’re as busy as we’ve ever been,” he said.
For more information on J. Conn Scott Interiors, 19535 Camelot Drive, Rehoboth Beach, call 302-227-1850 or go to jconnscott.com.
