Sassy Chic, Purposefully Recycled now open in Rehoboth
Purposefully Recycled owner Mary Alice Chase said she knew Sassy Chic owner Lynn Misener would be the perfect person to share retail space with when she found out about an open storefront in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
“I respect her work ethic, her vision and what she wanted to do,” said Chase of Misener. “I knew she would give her all to making the business work, but at the same time understand that we have other jobs, lives and families to take care of.”
Chase said the store, located in The Shops at Baltimore Commons on Baltimore Avenue, became available in April, and three weeks later the two women were open.
“It was fast and furious,” said Chase, with Misener standing next to her laughing. “We knew it would be a good fit for Baltimore Avenue’s fun food and fun art scene.”
Misener got her start with 1st State Sassy Glass roughly six years ago. She said after traveling the craft show circuit for a number of years, she decided to open Sassy Chic on Route 9 in Lewes. As part of opening that location, Misener invited dozens of other local artists to show their wares.
In addition to the Sassy Chic decor that Misener is well known for, she expanded her services with custom monogramming. She said she started monogramming at her Lewes location, but she likes having the foot traffic downtown Rehoboth provides.
“Everything here can be monogrammed, except the piece of decor I make,” said Misener, pointing to hats, shirts, bags, bathrobes, children’s clothes and more. “Customers can also bring in other items to monogrammed.”
Misener’s Route 9 location is where Chase first began selling her repurposed and upcycled creations two years ago.
Chase said Purposefully Recycled started with a dragonfly made with old fan blades and newel posts. After that, she said, anything that was interesting had the potential to be turned into a piece of home decor.
Chase said she’s always been collected interesting things when walking on the beach, but didn’t think about starting a business until after her kids were raised. It was time to do something for herself, she said. Right now, Chase said, her sea glass pictures and the painted pine cones her sister creates are popular.
“My day job is very technical, and this allows me to feed the other side of my brain,” she said.
Both women have full-time jobs. Misener said if it weren’t for family, the shop in Rehoboth would be impossible to operate.
“This truly is a family-run business,” she said.
Sassy Chic and Purposefully Recycled, 33D Baltimore Ave., are open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The shops open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and are open later, or as Chase said, as long as there are shoppers. There is a combined Facebook page for both businesses. For more information on Sassy Chic, call 302-236-1842. For more information on Purposefully Recycled, call 404-805-1385.
