Making more than mermaids Tampa Tribune
Published: February 22, 2010
Updated: 11:37 am
WEEKI WACHEE - You'll find many mermaid-related items for sale at The Giggling Mermaid, but that is just the tip of the tail, so to speak.
The shop is Hernando County's newest addition to a growing bevy of venues where local artisans display and market the fruits of their creativity.
Owner Paula Trehey's new business supports an eclectic assemblage of handcrafted pieces by local artisans.
"We have a pretty good variety of handiwork, including things I haven't seen in other places," Trehey stated.
Trehey said the shop is run similar to an artisan co-op, except she is the sole proprietor. Other artisans consign their items through her. She displays and sells the merchandise for them.
The establishment occupies the end unit in a plaza by the entrance to The Heather, affording them the advantage of more windows. Trehey makes the most of them, displaying a large selection of stained glass crafted by Weeki Wachee's Tina Furlow.
"Tina's work is amazing, and her prices are the most reasonable I've ever seen for stained glass," said Trehey.
Furlow also does embroidery, occasionally embroidering her customized golf and hand towels on site. Trehey hopes to have other artisans do demonstrations, adding, "It's a great way to show people that, yes, we really do make all this stuff ourselves."
Trehey creates fused glass art and jewelry. Her unique pieces include a multitude of colors and patterns which, she says, are typically ingrained in the glass when she starts to work with it.
