- April 20, 2024
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Andrea Coleman poses in full mermaid gear by Mermaids R Us during a shoot five years ago. Photo courtesy Michael Haun.
Alexia, Lyn Hock and Andrea Coleman smile during Ocean Child Boutique's grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 19. Photo courtesy Andrea Coleman.
An outdoor view of the Ocean Child Boutique. Photo by Jarleene Almenas.
A table full of baubles for sale inside Ocean Child Boutique. Photo by Jarleene Almenas.
A local professional mermaid has just opened a boutique in Ormond Beach — complete with enough whozits and whatzits galore to rival any young mermaid’s treasure trove.
Ocean Child Boutique is the result of Andrea Coleman’s aspirations of opening a bohemian mermaid-inspired boutique. On her way to drop off her 13-year old daughter Alexia at her school, Coleman, 49, would look at the storefront located at 164 W. Granada Blvd.
“I would drive back and forth to school every day just daydreaming about having that kind of place,” Coleman said.
During a spring break trip with her family this year, she mentioned her dream to her daughter, who became enthusiastic — grabbing a sketchpad and drawing all of her mother’s plans and telling her she would be the store’s CEO.
“She’s the one that literally kept pushing it,” Coleman said.
Coleman, who owned two different boutiques before her daughter was born , told Alexia it was just a dream. Less than six months later, that was no longer the case.
Ocean Child Boutique, which is named after a tattoo Coleman got during the spring break trip, officially opened on Saturday, Aug. 19. Coleman said the store was a bustle of activity, with 30-40 at times crowded inside the store with a line out the door. The opening celebration included live music, a pygmy goat and of course, professional mermaids.
Coleman has always loved the water. By becoming a professional mermaid, she said she’s living out her childhood dream.
“I am an ocean baby, for sure,” Coleman said.
She and her daughter became part of the southern pod of mermaids after one of her friends invited her to an event at Alexander Springs about five years ago.
So she sewed Alexia her first tail and from there, the pair has never looked back. Coleman is known in the mermaid community as Mermaid Marina, and Alexia as Mermaid Coralina. They’ve performed at local events, like last year’s Badges and Boardshorts OBPD event, worked birthday parties and attended gatherings with mermaids from all over the world.
One event that sticks out in her mind is an underwater wedding she and her daughter attended three years ago in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
It was the wedding of former Weeki Wachee mermaid Barbara Wynns to professional diver Allen “The Grouper” Sherrod — who also happened to break a world record at the time for the longest open saltwater scuba dive by spending 55 hours submerged, though his record was broken by someone else in 2016.
The group of mermaids swam out 800 feet to open waters for the ceremony, diving in and out of the water. On the way back, Coleman said they were pelted by rain and big waves, which they had to maneuver in full-mermaid gear.
“I helped an older mermaid who got stuck up there and was panicking,” Coleman said. So there was this rope with buoys that went inward and I just told her to hold on to my tail.”
She said it was an experience she won’t forget anytime soon.
Coleman, who has lived in Ormond since 1992, hopes to integrate Ocean Child Boutique into the community of Ormond Beach. She’s planning to help out local organizations, organize beach cleanups and partner with OBPD for “Coconut Water with a Cop.” Coleman is also the vice president of Ormond Middle School's PTA.
Ocean Child Boutique also showcases art from local artists, like Lyn Hock, Coleman’s mother.
Also, if customers buy certain items from the store, some of the proceeds go toward sea turtle conservation.
Like the sense of community she feels from her fellow southern pod mermaids, many of which drove down from as far as South Carolina to support her grand opening, she hopes to cultivate the same mindset in her store.
“It’s like magic coming to reality,” Coleman said.
