J. Conn Scott, Quillen’s honored for near century in business

With nearly 200 years of business between them, J. Conn Scott Showhouse and D.F. Quillen were honored by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce with the first Monumental Continuous Business Recognition award.

J. Conn Scott started in 1924 in Selbyville as a department store and eventually morphed into selling home furnishings. Richard Scott, son of founder J. Conn Scott, took over a building at the corner of First Street and Baltimore Avenue that became the J. Conn Scott Showhouse.

In accepting the award, Scott said, “Who knew we could go this long? We will continue. Doing the showhouse in Rehoboth took us to another step, and we’re going to continue to 120, 130 years.”

The second honoree is a Rehoboth-area institution, D.F. Quillen and Sons, founded in 1917. The contracting business has grown to include the Quillen’s Hardware store, located just outside Rehoboth off Route 1. D.F. Quillen’s longtime head is Dennard Quillen, who is still active at the store at age 89.

Quillen did not attend the Feb. 16 awards ceremony - his wife, Charlotte, is in a wheelchair, and Quillen is her primary night caregiver -  but he sent in a speech, read by presenter Dale Lomas.

Quillen wrote he had planned for a career in the Army, but when his father had a construction accident that left him in a lower-body cast for six months, he came home to work for the family business  He said he never regretted the decision to come back and help his father.

Quillen said his two worst days were when his parents died by the time he turned 31. He said he had to grow up overnight, with the help of a lot of prayer, and he owed it to employees and customers who helped pick up the torch left by his parents. Quillen thanked the employees and customers who have frequented Quillen’s over the years.