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Stuart Kingston holds final auction at Boardwalk location

Dozens of people turn out for opportunity to purchase hundreds of items
Buddha and Beads owner Brad Davis checks out a piece of jewelry prior to the last auction at Stuart Kingston in Rehoboth Beach. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
March 2, 2022

Story Location:
Stuart Kingston
501 N. Boardwalk
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

After nearly 100 years on the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Stuart Kingston Gallery took a giant step toward its next move with the business’ final auction Feb. 26.

Stuart Kingston President Mauria Stein announced in November her plans to plans to discontinue selling fine rugs and move her business to Coastal Highway after 92 years in Rehoboth.

A few dozen people showed up to participate in an auction that included 335 items – fur coats, arts and crafts, mirrors and wardrobes, porcelain tableware, sterling silver, lots of jewelry, toys and more.

Sitting behind the counter, Stein expected the auction to take roughly four hours. She was monitoring online participants.

“It’s exciting,” said Stein, adding that it wouldn’t take too long to move everything out once the auction was over. “Everything in this room is being sold today, and I move things for a living, so the rest shouldn’t take too long.”

Monica Browne is Stein’s neighbor and friend. She said she was on hand to display items as they came up for auction.

“I’m here to play Vanna,” said Brown, in a reference to “Wheel of Fortune” hostess Vanna White.

People get real good deals at these auctions, said Browne.

“I’ve seen a nice diamond ring go for 100 bucks,” she said.

Buddhas and Beads owner Brad Davis was scoping out some of that very jewelry prior to the auction.

“I plan on taking as much as they’ll let me have,” he said. 

Stein announced to the crowd on hand that she’s moving the business to the old Hazel Flooring location, in the Shoppes of Camelot, off Route 1 north of Rehoboth. She hopes that by April 15, there will be some kind of opening party, she said.

Stuart Kingston President Mauria Stein gets things going from behind the counter. Her family has operated the business on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk for nearly 100 years.
A 70-year-old newspaper clipping of a Stuart Kingston ad in the Delaware Coast Press is on display.
Playing the Vanna White hostess role is Monica Browne, showing off Isaac Maimon’s “A La Mode,” one of the dozens of artworks that went up for sale.
All kinds of artworks were up for auction, including these two paintings featuring sheep.
This Chinese monumental pagoda is carved from spinach jade.
An uncorrected first proof of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” went under the gavel.
Bidder Karen Summers makes a play.
After nearly 100 years, the sale marked the final time this sign will be put up at Stuart Kingston’s Boardwalk location.
Before the auction began, the projector let everyone know it was the final one.
With a regular flow of people coming in and out, a few dozen people made their way up front for the auction.
Auctioneer Efrem Phillips of 3 Seasons Auction kept the event moving.
This painting by Edward Loper Sr. was one of the big-ticket items up for sale.

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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.

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