Rehoboth Beach loses two longtime business owners
The Rehoboth Beach business community has lost two longtime business owners in the past few weeks.
The Edge co-owner Michelle “Shelley” Bright-Heuring died just before Christmas. Her obituary said she died Dec. 19, after a short and unexpected illness.
Bright-Heuring co-owned The Edge with her husband Tim. Located on the southeast corner of South First Street and Wilmington Avenue, the local landmark store was opened by the couple in 1989.
“Shelley had a magnetic spirit and an unmistakable zest for life. She loved music, laughter, and a good time, and she lived fully and unapologetically,” reads her obituary.
More recently, Steve Crane, co-founder of Browseabout Books, died soon after the new year began.
Steve and Barbara Crane founded Browseabout Books in 1975. They sold the business to Susan Kehoe in late 2020. The bookstore announced Crane’s death Jan. 12.
“Steve was the heart and soul of Browseabout and downtown Rehoboth Beach for nearly 50 years. He loved his family, his staff, his customers, and his friends fiercely. He was a big man with big ideas, big opinions, big laughs, big feelings, and a big heart (that he often wore on his sleeve),” read the Facebook post announcing Crane’s death. “It has always been and will continue to be our mission to honor Steve’s hard work and legacy by being ‘the best Browseabout we can be.’”
Carol Everhart was president of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce for 30 years before she stepped down at the end of 2025. During her time as chamber president, she crossed paths with both Bright-Heuring and Crane.
Businesses are usually a reflection of the owners and how they run them, said Everhart. In both cases, the businesses were well run and the customers were cared for, she said.
Crane was always honest and supportive of the business community, said Everhart. If there were decisions made that he didn’t agree with, he wasn’t afraid to let his opinion be known.
Everhart said she didn’t know Bright-Heuring as well as Crane, but respected how she ran her business. Bright-Heuring remained independent as a business owner, staying away from the political aspects of running a business, but just like Crane, she took care of her customers, said Everhart.
A memorial gathering and “Shellabration” for Bright-Heuring was held Dec. 29.
As of press deadline Jan. 14, information about Crane’s funeral services was not available.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
