Deadline nears for Jane and Georgie house

The Coalition for West Rehoboth has received donations to move the building that houses Jane and Georgie boutique on Rehoboth Avenue, but officials say time is running out to raise enough money to pay for the move.

Relocating the old house at 419 Rehoboth Ave. to a Norwood Street lot in West Rehoboth requires lifting 11 utility lines along the mile-and-a-half journey, a task expected to cost $10,000.

Kevin McKinney, project director for the Coalition for West Rehoboth which is planning the move, said the coalition is still working with the utility companies to move the building before the end of January, when it will be demolished to make room for a new Jane and Georgie building.

McKinney said $2,000 in donations has been received so far. The coalition thought it had a major $5,000 donation, but that donor failed to come through.

George Chambers of Jane and Georgie said Delmarva Power has agreed to reduce its price to $4,000. He said the coalition is also working with Verizon to move the telephone lines. There are three lines that need to be raised: telephone, Comcast’s cable TV lines and Delmarva Power at a combined cost of $10,000.

Power and telephone lines have to be raised, McKinney said, but Comcast’s lines can be disconnected, dropped and reconnected.

Chambers said he believes Delmarva Power’s offer is fair because it allows the coalition to get the house, and the power company is able to recoup its expenses.

Kate Chambers, George’s daughter, said the building was once a home, with customers occasionally coming in remembering its days as a house. Over the last 20 years, she said, the building was an early Bad Hair Day location, a photography studio and then Jane and Georgie, a clothing boutique.

The new Jane and Georgie, designed by Beracah Homes, will feature more fitting rooms, updated heating and air conditioning and more floor space. The Chambers plan to begin work on the new store at the end of January

McKinney said the project to move the Jane and Georgie building is part of a five-year plan by the coalition to put affordable, donated homes in West Rehoboth. Two homes have already been moved; the Jane and Georgie house would be the third.

For information on donating, call Kevin McKinney at 302-362-6453, or visit the Coalition for West Rehoboth at its office, 19801 Norwood St.