That was the highlight of their summer,” Cole said. “We’ve had a number of summer employees who are students from Eastern Europe, and Joe would talk to them about international affairs. Often, Biden would chat with the staff there. “He rode a red Fuji Absolute 2.1, but I don’t know which particular one - I have dozens of those,” he says. Cole services the Bidens’ bicycles and once delivered them to their home in what he said was “a surreal experience.”īiden is a longtime customer who used to rent bikes at his shop before purchasing his own, said Cole. “It’s a classic, modest-sized coastal beach house,” said Frank Cole, who owns Atlantic Cycles, a local bike shop. That’s the $2.7 million home the Bidens own in the trendy North Shores community on the cusp of Cape Henlopen State Park. People want to see the president and are curious about where he lives.” “There’s more foot traffic, more cars with Biden/Harris stickers. “Our business picked up in the offseason because of ‘the Biden Effect,’ “ said Nick Caggiano Sr., who owns Nicola Pizza in town. Now, as president, imagine the tons of people involved for him just to come and get ice cream.”Įver-hopeful vacationers remain vigilant. “Two summers ago, Joe stopped in many times with his grandkids, got them cones and took home quarts and quarts of chocolate chip. Mack agrees: Much as they’d like, he said, the Bidens will likely struggle to blend in: “Given the political climate and the pandemic, I just don’t see them moving as freely about town.” “Obviously, it’s a different world now,” she said. It was guys wearing T-shirts and Bermuda shorts and just kind of ambling along with him,” she said. “The Secret Service went with him, but it wasn’t, like, 50 guys in black suits. ”Įven as vice president, she said, Biden slummed easily with his entourage: “There is worldwide interest in Rehoboth we just had a film crew here from a Scandinavian country who were doing a documentary on. “The election sort of sealed our fate as ‘the nation’s summer capital,’ " Kehoe said. There are socks bearing the likenesses of the president’s dogs, Champ and Major an 8-inch plastic “action figure” of Biden, as if addressing a crowd and scented candles that smell like orange Gatorade, reportedly his favorite drink. Kehoe owns Browseabout Books, a showcase for Biden-related merchandise, from their autobiographies (the couple has held book signings there) to coloring books. In the past, Susan Kehoe said, “You’d see Jill standing in the checkout line in the grocery store, or at the deli counter buying sliced ham.” Many hope to glimpse the commander-in-chief, who, in recent years has casually melted into the crowds in summer, shopping at Browseabout Books on Rehoboth Avenue, dining at DiFebo’s on First Street or slurping up a smoothie at GreenMan Juice Bar on Wilmington Avenue. I’m seeing people in my store who haven’t been to Rehoboth in more than a year.” “There’s a different breath in the air, now that the vaccine is out and Biden is in. “For most folks, it’s a positive, uplifting thing,” said Mack, in business for 23 years. While he has long vacationed in Rehoboth - Biden bought a home there in 2017 - his victory caught the fancy of a coastal town trying to rebound from the pandemic. Clearly, Biden’s election in November created a buzz at the beach and energized the Delaware shore.
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