America 250 Community Celebration Honoring Larry and Dorothy Himmelstein
The Himmelstein family invites the community to a special celebration honoring two remarkable milestones: America’s 250th anniversary and the 90+ birthdays of Larry (97 born 7/3/29) and Dorothy (93 born 6/23/33) Himmelstein, founders of Surfside Casual Furniture. The party will be held at the SandHouse Kitchen at 9 Beach Road in Ocean City, on Friday, July 3 from 5:00 – 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Family, friends, customers, and community members are welcome to join in celebrating the Himmelsteins’ enduring legacy, entrepreneurial spirit, and decades of contributions to the region. Complimentary PSU ice cream will be available for all PSU alumni and all veterans and current armed service members on July 3rd and July 4, while supplies last. Larry and Dorothy will arrive in style, in Larry’s 1929 Model A Woody, a car from the year of Larry’s birth, and an iconic symbol of the American ingenuity the couple embodies.
Larry and Dorothy met during their studies at Penn State University (PSU) graduating in 1952 and 1954 respectively. They married on August 29, 1952, and honeymooned in Ocean City, a community that would later define their lives as they founded Surfside Casual Furniture to support the needs of the increasingly popular seaside resort.
During the Korean War, Larry was drafted into the Army and upon his return, he worked for the City of Philadelphia, Director of air pollution, while Dorothy put her master’s in library science from Drexel University to use while founding GE’s library in Philadelphia.
The Himmelsteins purchased their first house in Ocean City in 1962, and after Larry's retirement from the City of Philadelphia, they expanded their local businesses in Ocean City, from owning and operating the Sun Aqua Motel since 1976, to founding Surfside Casual Furniture in 1981. The couple’s furniture business would go on to become a widely successful family business, now in its third generation, and still expanding, with a Fort Myers, FL location planned for opening in October 2026.
Today, Surfside Casual Corporation, with trade names Surfside Casual Furniture and 7Mile Design, has grown into the largest full-service custom furniture design and home furnishings store in Southern New Jersey, with locations in Somers Point, Manahawkin, Egg Harbor Township, and Stone Harbor. They offer free, customized, and dedicated design services, assisting with everything, even helping to choose your coordinating paints and flooring. Their approach allows them to provide products in any fabric, color, or finish.
Surfside Casual Furniture & 7Mile Design is now in its third generation of ownership, with CEO Robert Himmelstein passing the torch to the next generation, Larry and Dorothy’s grandchildren, brothers Stefen, Evan, and Brennan Himmelstein. While Robert, Larry and Dorothy are all still involved in the business, operations have been turned over to the third generation, whom have already been working in the company for several years.
The eldest grandchild, Stefen, is now the Chief Operating Officer of the company, and has already implemented new software improvements and technological updates across the company. Stefen graduated from the PSU, Smeal College of Business, in 2023.
Evan is now the operations manager for the distribution center of the company, after having recently graduated from Elon University's Martha & Spencer Love School of Business, in May of this year.
Brennan eagerly anticipates officially joining business operations full-time, following his graduation from Auburn University in 2028.
The furniture dynasty continues to grow exponentially with this new generation working hard together with the foundation laid by Larry and Dorothy Himmelstein.
For more information about Surfside Casual Furniture & 7Mile Design’s Party at SandHouse Kitchen on July 3, call 609-927-4000 or visit SurfsideCasualFurniture.com
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3700403-0
