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SoCalMerman
10-06-2012, 11:42 AM
Hello beautiful merfolk! It is with great pride and excitement that I would like to announce the opening of our new shop. Mermaid Shelly's Grotto, an Aquatic Boutique, will be opening its doors this Saturday, October 13th in beautiful Oceanside CA, just north of San Diego. This is (I believe) the first retail physical establishment owned and operated by mers with mers in mind! We will be selling many wonderful things; clothing for when a mer must take human form, our handpainted mermaid scale bikinis, jewelry by our mer friends, artwork, zen lighting, and also our sequined mermaid tail skirts, sequined mermaid swim tails, and we will also still be taking custom designs for handpainted neoprene swim tails as well. We have always dreamed of finding some way of making our passion for all things mer into a way to make a living; hopefully this is it! Hopefully any and all merfolk who are ever in the San Diego area will be able to stop by for a visit. If you are in the area, we will be having a grand opening party this Friday night, the 12th, at 6 PM. Please come by! And we will be open for business the next day! We hope this shop will be a huge boon for the mer community as a whole. We hope to see everyone come by someday! Thank you all for your support!




6921The original, empty building right after we signed the lease and got the keys.

6922Voila! A day of painting produces beautiful, calming ocean waves.

6923 The front window! This is just a temporary display, I am sure it will change often, and it needs a mermaid!

6924 Again, just temporary, but it gives you an idea of things. We did not want typical fixtures, so we hung bamboo sticks from the ceiling with rope for that natutical look :)

6925 We will have a TV showing youtube clips of our mermaid adventures so when people ask "Can you swim in it?", here's your answer!

6926 We also really do not like fluorescent lighting, so these zen lamps will make a much more calming and tranquil atmosphere.

6927 Another rough idea of how the store will be.....

6928 Business cards.....with an actual address!!!

6929Ah, the crown jewel! We found this gorgeous tiki bar and thought it would make the most amazing cashier counter ever!

Mermaid Celissa
10-06-2012, 11:47 AM
I love the walls! I wish I lived near there, I would shop there all the time! The bamboo thing is really neat!

Karymermaid
10-06-2012, 02:41 PM
seriously, it's a mer~wish come true! I love the shops we have at Sea Port Village, and though there are ocean-themes, I always thought, "why isn't there a MERMAID shop?!"
I love it, I hope I can visit soon. The tiki bar is brilliant!!

Best of luck!!

MerEmma
10-06-2012, 03:00 PM
Wow. I love it all a LOT. Unfortunately, I live all the way across the country. xD

Morticia Mermaid
10-06-2012, 03:00 PM
:D I Can't wait to see it. I'm going to be in San Diego next month, and already told the fiance I needed to make a special trip north to see the new shop (and also drop some jewelry off for Shelly ^^ She wants to sell my jewelry in her shop :yay: ) The shop looks gorgeous so far, can only imagine how far it has progressed by the time I get there :D

Merman_Shawn
10-06-2012, 07:16 PM
So happy and proud for you guys! I'll definitely come visit the next time I go see all my friends in California! :D

Mermaid Caidence
10-06-2012, 07:39 PM
Looks absolutely gorgeous! I really wish I could visit. Maybe someday I could seeing as I'm just north of you. :D

MermaidBrittany
10-06-2012, 08:03 PM
I will be in San Diego on the 13th!! :) I hope I can come see it! It is defiantly a possibility. It looks great! Can't wait to see it in person! :D

Ashe
10-06-2012, 08:50 PM
Ahmagad, Amagahd, Amagahd!!!!! I must must must must must must must must must go!!!!!!!!! Will definately be there some day!!!

SoCalMerman
10-06-2012, 09:00 PM
Pssst.....mernetwork members....come see us, mention you saw us on mernetwork, and take 10% off your first purchase :D

Mermaid Momo
10-06-2012, 10:15 PM
you know what? next year, my dad wants to take me to SDCC and if we do go, i'm going to ask him to take me there! it looks amazing!

SoCalMerman
10-07-2012, 10:07 AM
So glad everyone is excited! I cannot thank all of you enough for all your nice comments.

The Grotto's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MermaidShellysGrotto?fref=ts

Mermaid Shelly's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/mermaidshelly?fref=ts

My FB page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/SoCalMerman?fref=ts

Mermaid Narina
10-08-2012, 08:24 AM
absolutely incredible!!!! feel like opening a shop in australia? ;)
so so cool!

SoCalMerman
10-08-2012, 09:53 AM
We would love to eventually franchise, so we'll see!


Mermaids Shelly and Sora preparing a cache of pirate booty to lure in customers!

6987


Mermaids Shelly and Sora with our newest employee ;)

6988

Koral
10-08-2012, 12:25 PM
This makes me wish I still lived in Oceanside! I miss it there so much!

Morticia Mermaid
10-08-2012, 12:33 PM
:D Turns out, I may be moving to the San Diego area some time in the next year or so. Currently looking for work and housing for 1. Can't wait to get there. Once I do, you guys will have a regular customer ^^

Sea Pearl
10-08-2012, 01:17 PM
That store looks amazing! Wish I lived near there. I'll definitely have to visit if I'm in that area sometime.

Kanti
10-08-2012, 01:18 PM
Wow that's seriously awesome!!
I love the clothing you guys have in there too! It's really pretty! Whoever did the paint job on the
walls did an awesome job @__@

And I think you guys really are the first to make an actual physical shop for mermaids! At least, I've
never seen a store that actually offers swimmable mermaid tails before! That's seriously really cool!
Maybe we'll be seeing more of these in the future!
Aren't you friends with the Mertailor as well? Maybe this will make him decide on opening a store, too!
Then mermaiding can be more widespread~

Mermaid Lei Loni
10-08-2012, 01:31 PM
What a fantastic store! I hope to be able to visit sometime soon! It looks amazing! :)

MermaidBrittany
10-08-2012, 07:09 PM
Its official! I will be there on the 13th! I am soooo excited! :yay:

SoCalMerman
10-08-2012, 09:42 PM
That'll be so cool! We spent all day busting our humps and are right on schedule. Still have to get a tagger and price everything in the store, yuk!!

Ashe
10-08-2012, 10:54 PM
Im taking a trip to San Diego soon! Ill be there! <3

MermaidBrittany
10-08-2012, 11:02 PM
That'll be so cool! We spent all day busting our humps and are right on schedule. Still have to get a tagger and price everything in the store, yuk!!
Good luck! :D Can't wait to see.

SoCalMerman
10-09-2012, 11:43 AM
Remember, if you come to the store identify yourself from mernetwork and you'll get 10% off your first purchase!

Mermaid Saphira
10-09-2012, 11:57 AM
I wish I lived in CA! I would be all over this place man ;) Beautiful walls by the way :D

MerAnthony
10-09-2012, 06:59 PM
WOW Chris for all the pictures I have seen you an Shelly have done a fantastic job. Looks great.

MermaidBrittany
10-09-2012, 08:22 PM
Remember, if you come to the store identify yourself from mernetwork and you'll get 10% off your first purchase!
Ok! I will :D

spottedcatfish
10-10-2012, 01:47 AM
:D Turns out, I may be moving to the San Diego area some time in the next year or so. Currently looking for work and housing for 1. Can't wait to get there. Once I do, you guys will have a regular customer ^^

Cool. Another Mer here in San Diego would be awesome! I can't wait for the opening of the Grotto on Friday! woo hoo! :thumbs-up::thumbs-up:

Morticia Mermaid
10-10-2012, 11:18 AM
Cool. Another Mer here in San Diego would be awesome! I can't wait for the opening of the Grotto on Friday! woo hoo! :thumbs-up::thumbs-up:

Thanks Catfish :) I'm super excited to get into San Diego. Mainly cause I will finally be a LOT closer to my fiance, and because there are so many mers that are closer. Being at the southern end of the North Pacific Pod, It's really hard to make it to any of the meet ups cause they are usually in the Seattle area, which is about a 6 hour drive for me one way. Plus I can't afford a hotel in that area >.<

SoCalMerman
10-10-2012, 01:29 PM
We open in three days!!! Its so close we can taste it. Next two days will be spent pricetagging all the merch in the store, which should be.....fun. Otherwise, it is pretty much done. Everything in its right place.


7023 Swimsuits, baby sleep sacks, barbie mermaid tails, and some clothing.

7024 Hair clips made by HB Mermaid Angela and the Seashell Queen, among other things.

7025 Cashier counter begins to take shape with the computer/cash register up and running. Computer will play ambient/trance music throughout the store.

7026 More human clothing!

7027 Cool pirate stuff, leather belts and holsters; behind that, the sequined swimmable mermaid tails made by Shell.

7028 The front window nearing completion.

7029 Just another view, with more clothing.

7031 View from the front door of almost the whole store.


REALLY hope everyone comes and visits at some point!!

Mermaid Saphira
10-10-2012, 02:04 PM
^ that looks so awesome! gosh I wish I could go :doh: good luck! :D

LindseyLu
10-10-2012, 02:17 PM
The store looks AMAZING!!!! You guys are doing an incredible job! <3<3<3 I want one of everything!!!!! Congratulations!!!

Morticia Mermaid
10-10-2012, 02:26 PM
Wow! The store is looking amazing!! I seriously can't wait to see it next month

Spindrift
10-10-2012, 03:12 PM
I wish there was stuff on the wall behind the counter like pictures or paintings. But the store is looking really good. Congratulations! I'll be in the area in November so if I have time I'll stop by.

Mermaid Momo
10-10-2012, 03:59 PM
make sure you throw some little mermaid songs into that playlist!

SoCalMerman
10-10-2012, 09:11 PM
Stuff on the wall behind the counters: You are right, and we have several wooden mermaid pieces coming from an artist friend of ours friday morning!

Ashe
10-10-2012, 09:45 PM
That is looking AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! :jawdrop: Congrats on being the first walk-in mermaid dedicated store!!! <3

Merman_Shawn
10-10-2012, 09:51 PM
Huzzah!

SoCalMerman
10-12-2012, 09:34 AM
Grand opening party tonight at 6! Be there if you can!

Mermaid Saphira
10-12-2012, 11:55 AM
Grand opening party tonight at 6! Be there if you can!
Good Luck! The Store Looks Amazing!! :D

MermaidBonnie
10-13-2012, 01:08 AM
This store is amazing and well thought you guys! I love the TV idea, and the tiki bar is so freaking cute!!!! I love the paint, how did you do all of that so quickly???? It's so beautiful!!!! I am so happy for you. This is a dream store.

Elle
10-13-2012, 08:40 PM
It's so wonderful, but it's sooooooo far away!

MermaidBrittany
10-15-2012, 12:13 AM
Just got back from my trip! We did all sorts of fabulous things but none as good as going to Mermaid Shelly's Grotto!! THE BEST store ever! Everything was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! So many fabulous things to buy! I can't explain in words how cool it was :) It was actually really awesome for me because it was the first time I had ever met any other mers. :D Just thought I would share with everybody what we bought!
7122

Koi Pond
10-15-2012, 03:12 PM
I'm planning a Trip up there To stock on my Mermaid Gear :) SO Excited

Spindrift
11-22-2012, 01:31 PM
Hey guys,
I just wanted to say that I checked out the store yesterday with an old high school friend since I was in San Diego for a day. I'm in Los Angeles now, until Saturday morning.

Here's a photo of me and Shelly and also a photo of the necklace I bought. I -think- it was made by Lexi? But I can't remember if that is correct or not.

7731

They give a MerNetwork discount (3%) if you mention the forum. There's also a pretty cool donut shop across the street from their store. And their store is right next to the pier, which is also pretty cool. I definitely enjoyed the visit and it was nice to see other mer's work there in person. The quality and craftsmanship some of the mers put into their wares is pretty intricate! Also we had a pretty nice chat. It was a good visit. :)

Morticia Mermaid
11-22-2012, 03:16 PM
Oh, I wish Spindrift. That is gorgeous though, and so my color ;P All my stuff has tags on it that says Shadow Fancy

Spindrift
11-22-2012, 04:59 PM
Ah my bad then, haha. Man I wish I knew who made it. But I did see your stuff! They look so good!

Merrow Fair Isle
11-23-2012, 12:27 AM
Looks Incredible!!! Bravo!

Morticia Mermaid
11-30-2012, 05:45 PM
Thanks Spindrift. I try really hard to make sure all my stuff looks good. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to stuff I make

Odette
11-30-2012, 06:31 PM
yay! dreams come true!

Spindrift
02-01-2013, 09:45 AM
*Saw my necklace posted on FB. It is from Aqua Shop. There's also a distinctive price hike but whatever, it isn't that big of a deal and I love my necklace anyway. :)

DepthWitch
05-21-2013, 11:49 PM
I will have to come by and visit if I'm ever in the area.

Mermaid Varshana
06-13-2013, 10:23 AM
I commissioned a tail from Mermaid Shelly. Here's some progress photos:

https://abychw.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2m3iSKFQserD9OqBulrx4PMEmZS_zWxApULi46O8rcKwvj_Zk Yebu65DWH39D6G8V7XnObE7TrRmCrnrlJpARDSuVe-sgiAL7cHanJrpk-IWYYxwnMueIQe_R8uv-YWM6z/WP_20130612_016.jpg?psid=1

https://abychw.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2mkm3YmVsEVp8k1J4Ah7aNdakYhhNbRD1pzQQh3SGfHQyuduy w1HUH01FXawY-lnDGaWPIus63Bn105kVS5XknItxyU_aTD5VJ8QDLglXfj07mq8 7Kia-ri5K5P__k0mfS/WP_20130612_009.jpg?psid=1

AniaR
06-13-2013, 05:38 PM
Great colours Kakarotte. (side note, I say your name in vegeta's voice, lol)

Mermaid Varshana
06-13-2013, 06:00 PM
Ha! Someone gets the reference ^^; I hear my name in my head in Vegeta's voice too!

deepblue
06-14-2013, 12:49 AM
Wonderful! I'll have to make the trip up from OB. Yay!

Mermaidmechanic
06-16-2013, 09:34 PM
I visited today and Shelly's husband was there (She was out either working on a tail or taking pictures of some of their items, I'm not sure). He was an awesome person, great to talk to, and their stuff was really cool! It was great to walk into a place and see a pile of tails sitting out. It was so unique and I bought a GREAT pair of earrings. I'll post them when I get a chance to take a picture. I drove about an hour but it was worth it. Great people, great stuff! :D

Mary Marine
10-10-2013, 01:32 AM
I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT THIS PLACE AFTER GETTING BACK FROM CALIFORNIA!! Seriously, I was in shopping in Oceanside about 4 times. *cries*

OceanRose
10-10-2013, 03:14 AM
*gulp* unless I'm mistaken, Shelly no longer has her shop :-( :-(
When I googled her name I found her blog where she explains the difficulties they had.

Anahita
10-11-2013, 04:23 AM
*gulp* unless I'm mistaken, Shelly no longer has her shop :-( :-(
When I googled her name I found her blog where she explains the difficulties they had.

I recall hearing something about that too - one of my friends in San Diego told me "oh, there's a Mermaid shop I'll take you to" and then last moth when I went to visit them saying that it wasn't there anymore?

deepblue
10-11-2013, 03:38 PM
According to her blog, she had to close doors in July.

http://mermaidshelly.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-season-for-all-things.html

AniaR
10-11-2013, 05:05 PM
yeah someone had posted a thread here somewhere about them closing. That's too bad. Shelly's husband and I butt heads a lot, but I still have a deep respect of them for going out on a limb and having that business. It's really inspiring and I think it brought the mer-community together in their area. But it's a big responsibility! And a terrible economy :(