R.E. Michel buys Best Equipment property at Nassau

Best Equipment Company, a Nassau fixture since 1944 for outside home, farm and gardening supplies and equipment, is downsizing and relocating.

Members of the Best family have owned the company’s most recent location at the corner of Route 1 and Janice Road, near the eastern end of the Nassau Bridge, since 1987. They recently sold the 11.56-acre parcel and its two metal buildings to the R.E. Michel company. According to public records at the Sussex County Recorder of Deeds website, R.E. Michel paid $6 million for the highly visible property with Route 1 frontage. The Baltimore-based firm, with branches across the United States, functions as a wholesale distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration products and parts.

Camilla Conlon of Jack Lingo Realtor closed the deal between the two companies. “R.E. Michel was looking to expand from its Route 9 location in Belltown and wanted commercially zoned property, so the Best property worked for them. It gives them plenty of room and great visibility on Route 1,” said Conlon.

Alison Robinson, property manager for R.E. Michel, said the property’s proximity to the company’s current location played into the decision. “It’s not easy to find commercial land for what we needed. This worked. We plan to build an addition and then relocate from our current location.” She said the parcel, much of it currently being farmed, has considerably more acreage than is needed. “But we have no plans at this point for what we might use the other property for.” She said the company plans to hold onto the Belltown property.

Carl Mears is branch manager for R.E. Michel’s Lewes operations. He said the firm has been in operation in this area for 30 years, starting out on Savannah Road near the Faust sheet metal operation near Five Points. He said the company later moved to its Route 9 location in Belltown and has continued to grow.

“We expanded twice, but now we’ve run out of interior space and we have no more room to expand on our property here,” said Mears. “We plan to add a building to connect the two Best Equipment buildings at the new property. That should give us about 34,500 square feet, about double what we have now. That will allow us to stock a lot more product.”

Mears said the relocation could take eight months to a year. “We don’t really know how long the whole process will take, but if it were up to me it would be really soon.”

He said sheet metal items and mobile home equipment are some of the strongest product lines at the Lewes location.

Best Equipment relocating

Meanwhile, Bob Best Sr. is in the process of purchasing the building and property on Log Cabin Hill Road next to Tall Pines Campground where the Brinton family has operated a recreational vehicle operation for the past couple of decades. Best’s son, Bob Best Jr., will manage the downsized Best Equipment Company, which will specialize in sales and service of Stihl lawn and garden power tools, and related items.

He and Dan Mills have worked together at Best Equipment for the past 20 years and will continue to work together at the new operation. Both are certified service dealers for Stihl, which is headquartered in Germany. “Stihl has grown worldwide and is continuing to expand,” said Bob Jr. “Their main plant is in Virginia Beach, so most of what they produce is manufactured in the U.S. They’re expanding their product line all the time. They’re into power washers and lawn mowers now in addition to chain saws, weed eaters and other items.”

Mills noted that Stihl is getting into more battery-operated equipment all the time. Shop vacuums, lawn mowers, leaf blowers. Many municipalities like Rehoboth and Dewey don’t allow contractors to work weekends or before 8 a.m. because of the noise. “The battery-operated tools don’t make as much noise, so we think that will open things up for homeowners and contractors,” said Mills.

“Batteries are improving all the time,” said Bob Jr. “They’re the wave of the future.”

The men hope to get the new Best Equipment up and running by Christmas. They moved a lot of the Stihl inventory and parts over from the previous location and are taking care of the customers who had items in for servicing before the previous location closed at the end of October.

What they’re not moving to the new location was sold at auction a few weeks ago.

Time for a move

“It was just time for a move,” said Linda Best. She and her brother Bob grew up in the business which was owned and managed for decades by their parents, Edna and Alfred Best. She and Bob managed the business for the past several years, as their parents eased out of the operation prior to their passing.

“My dad started the business in 1944 in a garage at his home in Nassau,” said Linda. “He eventually moved to property the family had on New Road where Activ Pest Solutions is now. Then in 1987, they moved out to the highway.”

Alfred Best and his brother Tom grew up in the feed, grocery and supply business started by their father Tom Best Sr. at the corner of New Road and Nassau Road in the first half of the 20th century. Farm equipment and supplies were eventually added to the Best enterprise, which also at one time included the Nassau Post Office.

When it came time to expand from Nassau, Tom Jr. took over the general store and grocery side of the operation, and operated Tom Best’s store for decades where Best Ace Hardware now operates.

Alfred took on the equipment, feed, fertilizer and farm supplies part of the operation which became Best Equipment Company.

The land sold recently was owned by Bob and Linda, and their cousins Randy Best and his sister Carolyn.