Gaia’s Organic Grocery opens on Forgotten Mile

Is there still a natural living and organic food store behind Bin 66 on the Forgotten Mile outside Rehoboth Beach? Yes, but it’s got a new name and new owners.

Beginning with the turn of the calendar to 2023, Good Earth Market became Gaia’s Organic Grocery, and is now under the ownership of Kevin and Wendy Morris.

“We’ve been looking for something of our own,” said Kevin, at the store a few days into the change over. Wendy is a co-owner of the store, but she still has a full-time job, so the new business is Kevin’s project. “We saw this pop up and decided to check it out because we thought it was something we could work with.”

Other than four years in the Army, which included a tour in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm, Kevin said he’s lived in northern Delaware his whole life. He and his wife have also owned a place in Long Neck for the past 15 years.

“I’ve been coming to the beaches down here for 50 years,” he said.

Kevin said they, which includes his daughter Bronwyn who will be store manager, were attracted to the property for a couple of reasons. First, he said, it’s an established business with an opportunity to grow on an already-established customer base.

“It’s not quite Rehoboth. It’s not quite Dewey,” said Kevin. “We’re looking forward to being part of the Forgotten Mile business community.”

The second reason is location. There are areas of the Forgotten Mile that are going to be redeveloped sometime soon, said Morris, referencing the new residential development slated for Spring Lake near the store on the south side of Route 1, and Rehoboth Beach Plaza immediately behind the store.

“We’d like to be a part of that revitalization,” said Kevin.

Kevin said the plan is to build on what Good Earth in Rehoboth was already offering. There are thoughts of items like protein shakes, a juice station and refill stations for household cleaners so people can reduce single-use plastics, he said.

“Right now, we want to know what customers really want,” said Kevin. “It’s kind of slow, which is good because it allows us to figure things out.”

The change in ownership is only affecting Good Earth Market’s Rehoboth location. Sue Ryan opened Good Earth Market in Ocean View in 2004, as one of the first certified organic farms in Delaware. She opened a second location in Rehoboth in 2013. Ryan sold the Rehoboth business in November 2020 to her sister and brother-in-law Stephanie and Mike Downes, who sold the property to the Morrises.

The hours of operation for Gaia’s Organic Grocery remain the same as before – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday.

For more information on Gaia’s Organic Grocery, 38131 Terrace Road, call 302-226-3276, email gaiasorganicgrocery@gmail.com or go to gaiasorganicgrocery.com.