This article appeared in the August 27th Issue of TV Times
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By David Maull
TV Times

Jack Childers' fascination with sea shells began in 1938 when, as a seventh grader in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he roamed the beach in search of exotic specimens.

It was a hobby that would become a profession and shape his life for the next 60 years.

In the 1950s, Childers operated his own sea shell and jewelry wholesale business and went on to own four gift shops in Ocean City. His most well-known venture, however, is Sea Shell City in Fenwick Island.

"My dad loves sea shells, it's something he's always known," said Childers' daughter Jackie, who manages Sea Shell City.

Located on Coastal Highway in Fenwick, Sea Shell City has an unusual inventory that appeals to both children and adults. It boasts one of the largest specimen sea shell selections on the East Coast and also stocks jewelry, candles, books and puzzles.

"We have to have something they (tourists) are not going to find at home," Childers said while sifting through a bin of hermit crabs on a recent weekday morning. "We try to keep it nautical."

Childers first set up shop in the area 32 years ago. While on a business trip to Ocean City for his wholesale business, he was offered nearly rent-free merchant space on 64th Street and decided to open a sea shell shop.

He eventually opened three more stores in Ocean City before purchasing Ruth's Shell Shop in Fenwick Island 20 years ago. He has twice added on to the building and now has one of the largest retail spaces in town.

Although Childers sold his Ocean City stores a few years ago, Sea Shell City remains a family-run business.

Jackie jokingly credits the store's unusual inventory to "overbuying buy daughters that have creative tastes."

Added Childers: "It's a fun store to buy for and a fun store to sell from."

New this year is a rock and mineral room in which customers can purchase unusual stones and crystals.

Sea Shell City also stocks Beanie Babies, a full line of Fenwick Island and Ocean City souvenirs and is one of the new places on the shore where would-be treasure hunters can buy or rent metal detectors.

An added bonus is the DiscoverSea Museum located on the second floor. The free museum features thousands of artifacts recovered from centuries-old shipwrecks off the Delaware coast. All are from the personal collection of Dale Clifton.

"That definitely helps," Jackie said of the museums ability to draw people into the store.

Another unique attraction is the large selection of hermit crabs.

Childers was the first Ocean City business to sell hermit crabs 28 years ago and has proudly carried that tradition into the 1990s. In fact, Childers proudly states Sea Shell City is one of the few stores that offers hermit crabs for 98 cents without an additional purchase.

As a seven-year-old, Jackie remembers venturing with her father into the ocean off the Florida coast to hunt for hermit crabs that would comprise the store's inventory the following summer.

"Working and shopping here is an adventure," she said.

Items can also be purchased from the store's web site www.seashellcity.com.