8 | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2021 | DELAWARE Mauria Stein sat behind an ornate wooden desk that was once on a ship- ping crate that fell in the ocean. A piece not suited for the sales floor, it seemed made for this woman who has simultaneously held onto tradition and embraced change in the often male- dominated auctions and gallery indus- try. Past piles of intricately patterned rugs and walls lined with paintings in gilded frames, Stein’s office used to be- long to her father – a man whom some referred to as the unofficial mayor of Re- hoboth, famous for consistently going for a jog on the boardwalk at high noon each day or comically sitting out by the ocean while dictating to his secretary. This is the place where Stein’s family built their more than 90-year-old busi- ness Stuart Kingston Gallery. And that long tradition is why Stein said it’s bit- tersweet that the business will be leav- ing the boardwalk in the new year. Between the constantly-changing landscape in Delaware’s beach towns and the pressures of the COVID-19 pan- demic, Stein and others have grappled with how to ensure the longevity of their businesses – even if that means leaving behind a property with almost a centu- ry’s worth of history and memories. The move comes at a time when oth- er longtime downtown businesses like Nicola Pizza have similarly decided to relocate to Coastal Highway. Stein, like those before her, wants to be where the growth and surge of visitors seem most promising – and right now, she said, that’s the Route 1 highway. While the demand for classic rugs and hand-picked furniture from far-off countries has faded with time, the gal- lery on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk – and Stein, its president – have survived. In fact, there might not be a better word than “survivor” to describe this business, which has outlasted the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 and the re- cent pandemic. Now, Stein said, moving Stuart Kingston to Coastal Highway is Longtime After 90 years, Stuart Kingston is set to leave downtown Emily Lytle Delaware News Journal USA TODAY NETWORK