Rehoboth Beach’s Sierra Moon moving across the street

Rehoboth Beach’s Sierra Moon Surf & Skate is on the move, but it’s not going far, because the decades-old business feet from the Boardwalk is taking over the former Carlton’s space across Rehoboth Avenue.

Sierra Moon has been around since 1992. Business partners Andrew Gitaitis and Grant Willis have owned it for the past 27 years. They took it over when they were 21 and 20 years old, said Willis. The pair were employees when the original owners were looking to sell, he said.

Sierra Moon is taking over the space that was the longtime home to Carlton’s Men’s & Women’s Apparel, which closed around this time last year after 63 years in business. In the year since, the space has been gutted, a back portion of the structure removed, and completely remodeled.

The existing retail space is located in what will eventually be the new Belhaven Hotel. Willis said they had been exploring options for Sierra Moon’s future, including going out onto the highway, but they wanted to stay downtown. When the new space became available, they reached out to the property owner and things worked out well, he said.

“They liked the idea of an established local business moving into the space that had long been a locally owned business,” said Willis.

Willis said he and Gitaitis are excited about the move, but it’s still a little nerve-racking. There are a lot of variables and there’s never going to be a good time to move, he said.

“The good news is customers are excited,” said Willis.

This isn’t the first time Sierra Moon has changed downtown locations. There used to be a spot on the Boardwalk, in the retail space of the Star of the Sea condominium complex, and there was a store in Penny Lane.

A little more than a decade ago, Willis and Gitaitis opened a sister location on the second block of Rehoboth Avenue called Lei Lula. It was more of a fashion boutique, said Willis.

The new space is a little less than 4,000 square feet, which is about the size of the two existing locations, said Willis.

Owning a business in downtown Rehoboth Beach can be tricky, said Willis. The second block of Rehoboth Avenue has a different feel from the ocean block, and it changes even more if the business is off Rehoboth Avenue, he said.

Willis said there isn’t a specific opening date in mind, because it depends on when the renovation of the new space is complete. However, he said, they do have to be out of the current locations by the end of the year.

For more information on Sierra Moon, go to sierramoon.biz or call 302-227-3622.