Business does the shopping so vacationers can relax

Debbie Worley is ready to make people feel at home when they arrive at their beach vacation. Her company Welcome Me Home Rehoboth provides products and amenities for vacationers or people returning to their beach homes after a long stay elsewhere, saving them the time of purchasing many needed items.

A long-time vacationer in Rehoboth, Worley has split her time between her homes in Rehoboth and Alexandria, Va. She said she knows what it's like to go between homes, and understands the little things that can make returning home a welcoming experience.

After retiring from a career in the federal government, she said, she knew she wanted to do more than just sit at home, and she got to work starting her own company.

“I had fun doing nothing, until I got bored doing nothing,” she said.

Worley said she always thought a service that would provide products for people with second homes and vacationers was sorely needed in the Rehoboth Beach area. “It would have been nice if those things would have been available to me when I got back to my place there,” she said. “People come and go. They may have a place in Florida, they may have a place in Rehoboth and when they come back they may just want to settle in and have everything there.”

With her website complete at welcomemehomerehoboth.com, Worley offers packages that all include setting the home temperature, wiping down counters, resetting clocks and making sure the bathroom is stocked.

Specific packages will stock the refrigerator with food, supply beach chairs and supplies, or have a dinner waiting upon arrival. There are also packages that provide board games, items for pets or designed to help celebrate a special occasion. Customers can create their own, specialized package depending on what they want, she said.

“I can basically get anything anyone wants,” Worley said.

Worley describes her business as product driven - she buys everything locally, and she provides her service for homes in Rehoboth, Lewes, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach.

“I want to do everything within a 10-mile radius, and support local business,” she said.

Prices range depending on the cost of the products purchased. Worley said she charges 30 percent above the product costs for her time and service.

Worley said she is ready for customers, and anyone interested can reach her on the Welcome Me Home Rehoboth website. Customers fill out information on what they are interested in and include an email address, Worley said, and she will get in touch with them right away.

It's just her for now, but if business picks up, she said, her family is there to help.

“Last year was a lot of work to get the website and business ready, but I'm ready whenever I get a customer,” she said.

For more information, go to welcomemehomerehoboth.com.