Unearth The Voyage
One Delaware coast bookstore has become such a vacation tradition that some families stop there before they even head to the beach. Inside, roughly 30,000 to 35,000 titles cover everything from literary fiction and history to cookbooks, true crime, manga, children’s books, and works by local authors.
But books are only part of what keeps people browsing. There is an in-store café serving coffee and hot chocolate, plus puzzles, games, toys, stationery, gifts, and other finds that can turn a quick book run into a much longer visit.
Even well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome inside.
The biggest surprise may be how modestly it all began. Nearly five decades ago, two Delaware teachers opened a seasonal boardwalk shop with only about 200 books.
What happened next turned their small summer project into one of Rehoboth Beach’s most enduring traditions.
A Literary Landmark Right on Rehoboth Avenue
The address alone tells you something important. Browseabout Books sits at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971, planted right in the middle of the town’s most-traveled street, just a short walk from the beach itself.
This central location is not an accident. It means that on any given day, the foot traffic outside the door includes families heading to the shore, couples on a morning stroll, and locals running weekend errands.
All of them pass by, and a surprising number of them walk in.
The building carries an approachable, lived-in quality that chain stores rarely achieve. There is no flashy branding or aggressive window display, just a warm and clear invitation to browse.
You can reach the store by phone at 302-226-2665, and more details are available at browseaboutbooks.com. Its placement on Rehoboth Avenue ensures that for nearly five decades, it has been impossible to miss and equally hard to forget.
How It All Started Back in 1975
Two teachers from Wilmington, Delaware, named Steve and Barbara Crane opened Browseabout Books on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk in 1975. Their initial inventory was modest, roughly 200 titles, and they ran the shop only during the summer months while maintaining their teaching careers.
What began as a seasonal passion project gradually became something much bigger. The store moved locations six times as it grew, eventually settling into its current home on Rehoboth Avenue and expanding to approximately 13,000 square feet.
That kind of growth does not happen by accident; it reflects decades of smart decisions and a genuine commitment to the community.
The Cranes also helped pioneer year-round retail in Rehoboth Beach at a time when most businesses shut down after Labor Day. That bold move helped transform the town into a destination beyond the summer months.
Their legacy is baked into every corner of the shop, and the story of how a modest boardwalk stand became a nationally recognized independent bookstore is genuinely worth knowing.
The New Chapter: A Long-Time Manager Takes the Wheel
In 2020, Steve and Barbara Crane made a decision that could have rattled the entire community: they sold the store. Instead of anxiety, though, the transition brought a collective sigh of relief, because the buyers were Susan Kehoe and her husband Matt.
Susan had worked at Browseabout Books for 16 years, running day-to-day operations for five of them. She knew the staff, the regulars, the inventory rhythms, and the personality of the place better than almost anyone.
Her stated plan after taking ownership was refreshingly straightforward: keep doing what has always been done.
That kind of continuity is rare in retail, and it matters enormously to a store built on relationships and trust. Long-time customers barely noticed a disruption, which is perhaps the highest compliment a transition can receive.
The Kehoes brought fresh energy while honoring the store’s established identity, a balance that is harder to strike than it sounds. Their stewardship has kept the spirit of the original vision fully intact.
30,000 Titles and Something for Every Kind of Reader
The inventory at Browseabout Books is staggering. With somewhere between 30,000 and 35,000 different titles on the shelves at any given time, the selection covers virtually every genre a reader could want, from literary fiction and history to graphic novels, cookbooks, and true crime.
The children’s section deserves its own mention. It is expansive, colorful, and thoughtfully stocked with books that reflect a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, making it easy for parents to find something meaningful for kids of any age or reading level.
The young adult section is equally strong, which explains why teenagers who visit with their families often end up spending the most time inside.
There is also a dedicated section for local and regional authors, complete with signed copies that make for genuinely personal gifts. Staff picks are displayed near the registers, and those curated selections tend to move fast because the recommendations are trusted.
The manga collection has also earned its own devoted following among younger visitors who travel specifically for that section.
Beyond Books: Gifts, Toys, Puzzles, and a Whole Lot More
First-time visitors sometimes do a double-take when they realize how much ground Browseabout Books covers beyond its literary core. The front of the store features a well-curated selection of gifts that includes greeting cards, socks, soaps, stickers, candles, jewelry, and novelty items that are genuinely hard to find anywhere else in town.
Puzzles and board games occupy their own section, and the toy collection is substantial enough to satisfy both the youngest visitors and adults hunting for something playful and unique. The stationery offerings, from journals to note cards, attract a crowd that might not even be there for books at all.
This diversification was a deliberate strategic choice, one that has helped the store thrive through changing retail conditions. It transforms a book run into a full shopping experience, the kind where you arrive looking for one thing and leave with a bag full of surprises.
Souvenirs, artwork, decorative pillows, and home accessories round out the mix, ensuring that almost no one walks out empty-handed. The variety keeps every visit feeling fresh.
The Cafe Corner That Makes You Want to Stay Longer
There is a particular kind of pleasure in browsing a bookstore with a warm drink in hand, and Browseabout Books has made sure that pleasure is always available. The in-store cafe serves coffee and hot chocolate that have both developed their own loyal followings among regulars.
The hot chocolate, in particular, comes up repeatedly in conversations about the store, described consistently as rich and genuinely satisfying rather than the thin, powdery kind you might expect at a casual shop. The coffee holds its own too, offering enough quality to slow a visitor down and turn a quick browse into a proper afternoon outing.
Having a cafe integrated into the space is a design choice that changes the entire pace of a visit. You are no longer rushing through the aisles; you are settling in, sipping, and flipping through pages at a comfortable rhythm.
That slower, more deliberate energy is part of what gives the store its famously cozy atmosphere. And if you are wondering whether dogs are welcome to join you for that cup, the answer is a resounding yes.
A Staff That Turns Browsers Into Devoted Readers
Ask almost anyone who has visited Browseabout Books what they remember most, and the staff comes up within the first few sentences. The team is consistently described as knowledgeable, warm, and genuinely enthusiastic about books rather than just their job titles.
One of the most charming dynamics in the store happens near the staff picks section, where individual employees curate their own selections by genre and personal taste. Customers have learned to seek out specific staff members by name based on shared reading preferences, turning what could be a simple shelf into something closer to a personal reading club.
There are stories of staff members overhearing a conversation between two customers, jumping in with a recommendation, and sending someone home with a book they never would have chosen on their own but ended up loving completely. That kind of organic, enthusiastic engagement is the hallmark of a great independent bookstore.
It cannot be trained into existence; it has to be cultivated through a workplace culture that genuinely values the act of reading. Browseabout Books has clearly figured that out.
Events, Author Visits, and a Calendar That Never Sits Still
The event calendar at Browseabout Books is one of the most active of any independent bookstore on the East Coast. Author signings, book launches, and discussion events happen regularly throughout the year, drawing both local readers and visitors who plan their trips around specific appearances.
The store has hosted nationally recognized authors including Erik Larson, Jodi Picoult, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, events that fill the store and spill into the surrounding area. Local authors receive equal attention through dedicated launch parties and signing events that celebrate regional voices and give them direct access to an engaged audience.
Children’s story times run consistently and typically include a craft component that transforms a simple reading into a hands-on experience kids genuinely look forward to. Multiple book clubs meet regularly, each focused on a specific genre, from forensic nonfiction to espionage thrillers to darker literary fiction.
During periods when in-person gatherings were limited, the store partnered with the Lewes Public Library and hosted more than 150 virtual events, keeping the literary conversation going without interruption. The calendar never really stops.
A Multi-Generational Tradition That Keeps Growing
There is a particular kind of loyalty that only comes with time, and Browseabout Books has earned it across multiple generations of the same families. Customers who visited as children in the 1980s now bring their own children, and in some cases, their grandchildren, creating a living chain of shared memory anchored by this single store.
For many Rehoboth Beach regulars, stopping at Browseabout Books is the official signal that vacation has begun. It happens before the beach, before unpacking, sometimes even before checking into the hotel.
The store has become a ritual, a familiar pleasure that marks the start of something good.
This kind of loyalty is not built through marketing campaigns. It grows slowly, through consistent quality, genuine warmth, and a space that manages to feel both familiar and full of new discoveries every time you visit.
The staff often remembers returning customers by name, recalling past purchases and conversations with an ease that makes the interaction feel personal rather than transactional. That continuity is the foundation of everything the store has built.
Community Roots That Run Deeper Than the Shelves
Browseabout Books has always operated with the understanding that a great bookstore is also a community institution. The store actively supports local nonprofits throughout Sussex County, contributing through donations and sponsorships to organizations including the History Book Festival, the Lewes Public Library, and the Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild.
The dedicated section for local and independent authors is more than a commercial offering; it is a platform. Regional writers who might otherwise struggle to find shelf space in larger retailers are given prominent placement and real promotional support through in-store events and community connections.
That kind of advocacy for local voices is rare and deeply appreciated.
Long-time patrons often describe the store as a neighborhood community center for readers, a place where relationships are built and sustained over years rather than single transactions. The store’s involvement in the broader cultural life of the area reflects a business philosophy that treats profit and community investment as compatible rather than competing goals.
That philosophy has clearly resonated, given how deeply the store is woven into the identity of Rehoboth Beach itself.
Open Almost Every Day and Worth Every Visit
Most businesses in beach towns operate on a seasonal schedule, closing up after Labor Day and reopening when the weather warms again. Browseabout Books has never followed that pattern.
The store is open 363 days a year, from 8 AM to 10 PM every day of the week, a schedule that reflects its role as a year-round community anchor rather than a summer novelty.
That commitment to consistent availability was actually pioneering when the Cranes first established it. They helped demonstrate that a retail business in Rehoboth Beach could thrive beyond the summer season, a model that has since influenced other local businesses in the area.
The extended daily hours matter in practical terms too. An 8 AM opening means early risers can start their day with a browse and a coffee before the town wakes up.
A 10 PM closing means evening wanderers have somewhere genuinely worthwhile to go after dinner. The store fits into almost any schedule, which is part of why it consistently ranks among the most-visited and most-loved shops on the Delaware coast.
There is almost never a wrong time to stop in.
