Now open on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth, Amylynn Karnbach said her new store One Day At A Time Gifts is a browsy shop looking to give Rehoboth’s LGBT and recovery communities a place to buy hard-to-find items.

“More and more people are beginning to come in,” said Karnbach during a recent interview in the shop’s office, which is really just the area in front of the register. “We’re a little off the beaten path. Things are slow, but good.”

After 44 years as a medical social worker, Karnbach said she retired Oct. 27, 2017, and she and her husband and co-owner, Larry, moved to Lewes from New York the day after. The couple opened the shop in March.

Karnbach said she quickly noticed there was no LGBT-friendly shop in Rehoboth, which she said she thought was odd. The shop offers a wide variety of LGBT-friendly items – from shoelaces and bow ties to bunting, flags and silverware. “If any place is going to have an LGBT-friendly shop, you’d think it was Rehoboth,” she said. “There used to be a lot around here, but there’s not as much anymore.”

Karnbach, a recovering addict herself, said she thought it was equally as odd there wasn’t a place locally to buy recovery coins, literature and other items to help the members of the community who are looking for help. “This is a very boozy community,” she said of Rehoboth and the surrounding towns. “Trying to stay sober is tough thing to do anyway, but around here, alcohol and drugs are rampant.”

The store offers a large collection of recovery coins marking substance-free milestones from any number of addictions, including alcohol, nicotine, drugs and others. There are two full bookshelves of 12-step recovery, pamphlets on local meeting schedules and how to find help, and other self-help literature. “Sometimes people, or their families, need a place where they feel safe to buy literature for recovery, self-help and spiritual transformation,” Karnbach said. “We’re here to support that community.”

In addition to the LGBT- and recovery-themed items, the shop also has a wide variety of fun items, local jewelry and artwork, Karnbach said. The store’s inventory will change frequently, based on customer suggestions and their ability to find new fun or useful items. “Things that catch my eye,” she said.

One Day At A Time Gifts is located at 46B Baltimore Ave. The pet-friendly shop is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Monday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday. For more information call 302-212-5632 or go to www.onedayatatimegiftshop.com.