Walking into Debi Sullivan’s Glass Mermaids shop visitors might think they have stepped right into the ocean itself.

The ceiling is painted seafoam green; ocean-related art lines the walls and shelves; and mermaids of all shapes and sizes are everywhere.

Sullivan’s shop at 2098 Marina Bay Drive, League City, started as a 200-square-foot stained glass studio in Seabrook and evolved over the last 17 years into a gift shop that stocks unique, handmade items, almost all of which relate to the water.

Sullivan’s inspiration for the store comes from her childhood love of water that never went away. As a child Sullivan’s parents had a place on a river Sullivan frequented.

“You could not get me out of that water,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan raised her own children in a house on Taylor Lake. Her home became a destination for all her children’s friends, and Sullivan saw the joy the lake brought to everyone.

“When you’re around the water, you’re always happy,” she said.

Sullivan buys most of her stock during her biannual visits to an Atlanta market. She spends hours meeting and buying products from dozens of vendors, all of whom have a unique story related to their items.

Sullivan sells jewelry made from the silver found on a sunken ship, pillows and bags made out of old sails that have carried boats through various oceans and seas, and a $3,500 light made of 109 hand-blown glass pieces.

“I like to put stuff in there with meaning,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan incorporates that attitude into the custom pieces she makes. After Hurricane Harvey she crafted a mosaic by decorating a mannequin head with items related to the storm.

“If something has a meaning or a story behind it, I think it’s something you’ll keep longer and you’ll enjoy more,” she said.

Glass Mermaids

2098 Marina Bay Drive, League City
281-326-3000
www.glassmermaids.com
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.