(REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.) - As you step inside Farmer Girl's Exotic Bird Shop you'll find yourself lost in a sea of color and a flock of feathers.
A unique birdhouse nestled on Coastal Highway and Route 24 in Rehoboth Beach, the pet store has been in business 46 years.
Delaware native and owner Mary Rash said her love affair with birds began decades ago.
"My sister went to Mexico one year. She bought two babies without any feathers on them. She gave one to me and one to another sister. That's where it all started," said Rash.
Since then Rash's bond with birds grew from having one to three to five to having a whole store full of them.
"They're just very loving and they're sweet, intelligent. Most of them talk." Elvira the Eclectus parrot is one of Rash's most trusted employees.
"She can wait on people," Rash said, "if I wasn't in the store, the times maybe when I'm in the back room or something, and she'll say, 'hi how are you? You find something? It's $39.95.'"
Even if you're not looking to buy, the exotic bird shop also offers birdie boardin for when you're on vacation and can't bring Polly along for the ride. From cockatoos, lovebirds to amazon parrots, large or small Rash tells WRDE all birds make great, life-long pets.
"It's not a lot of work. It's five minutes twice a day just to clean the cage, if you keep it up," she said.
And after spending years caring for so many birds, the reward is making friends for life and sharing that with her family.
"She'll live with me until I'm gone. Then I think my daughter will take her. You know, the ones that are here that I've had for many years. I'll never let them go," she said.
So whether you're looking for a new friend or just someone to squawk about life with, it's no secret you'll be leaving Farmer Girl's Exotic Bird Shop singing like a canary.
