Scooter dealership and beach boutique open in Ocean View

Rick and Cheryl Arnold launched Trendy Shore Boutique in April and Scooters by the Beach May 8 in Ocean View, where the two businesses are only separated by a door. 

Scooters by the Beach offers both Vespa and Piaggio models. The Italian Vespa scooters are hard to come by in the United States, with only about 100 dealerships across the country. In fact, the Arnolds’ store is the first Vespa dealership on the East Coast. 

The Arnolds purchased Vespa scooters for one another as retirement gifts, which they use as a fun way to get to Bethany Beach in the summer. They were inspired to start the business when they noticed a demand for local beach transportation – a void that the “Cadillac of scooters” could fill. 

“We started driving our scooters to the beach, and it’s a great little niche that people don’t know about,” said Cheryl. “We get our backpacks and lounge chairs, put our towels on our seats and drive down to the beach where there is free scooter parking. We go right to the beach, where everyone else is circling and circling looking for a spot. We did that every day, and then every single time we went into town and we drove them, people were bombarding us like, ‘Where’d you get those scooters?’ We were like, ‘You know what? This would be a great business.’”

As a certified Vespa mechanic, Rick also provides service for the scooters for any customer within a two-hour distance from the store. For those who own vacation homes in the area, the registration is convenient because the scooters can be kept in Delaware without the worry of a sales tax when changing states. The prices of the vehicles start at $2,600 and can run up to $12,000.

The Arnolds relocated to Millsboro from northeast Pennsylvania 25 years ago. Rick is a recent retiree of the Georgetown Police Department, and Cheryl was a Delaware State Police trooper. As former law enforcement officers, they aim to use their knowledge of the rules of the road to ensure their customers are aware of protective measures. 

“Rick and I really want to focus on safety,” said Cheryl. “I see a lot of these people driving scooters up and down the shoulders, which is totally illegal. With our backgrounds, we know what the law is and we know what the safety aspects are. We want to make people safe in our community since we’re going to be putting a lot of scooters on the road … We’re definitely going to educate the people that we sell to on safety.”

The other half of the mom-and-pop shop is Trendy Shore Boutique, which is primarily operated by Cheryl. She uses the motto “trendy styles with a beach vibe” to describe her selection of women’s accessories. All of the items are made by Los Angeles designers and go for a lightweight, colorful, flowy and oversized look, using lots of gauze, knit and vegan fabrics. 

Cheryl started a website for the boutique about a year ago so she could sell her items online. After about six months, she started looking for places to rent to go brick-and-mortar. 

“I’ve had a side business for maybe 12 years of going to events and craft fairs selling women's accessories, but my dream was ... I wanted to have a boutique.”

Trendy Shore Boutique is also unique compared to other shops in the community because of its custom-made belt line. Cheryl initially hand-drew a wave emblem and sent out her design to a manufacturer, who then created a distinct belt buckle that cannot be found anywhere else locally. The beachy belts come in 13 different colors with both gold and silver buckles. The stretchy material features an adjustable strap that can be altered from 29 to 52 inches.  

The Arnolds are enjoying their own twist on the retired lifestyle, as they are able to sell the items they use the most. 

“Every day I wear stuff from my boutique, and then when the weather gets a little bit better, my husband’s riding a scooter every day,” said Cheryl. “We definitely preach what we live.”

Scooters by the Beach and Trendy Shore Boutique are located at 30558 Cedar Neck Road, Ocean View. Go to trendyshore.com to check out the hours for both businesses.