Island blues, sea-green hues and a side of ranch make for a complementary mashup of coastal and Texas-proud finds at Mermaid Ranch in Rockport, Texas, where “island girl” and owner Susan Gerhardt curates beach-inspired displays that hook tourists and lasso locals.
“I think we invented the coastal cowgirl theme before it was a thing,” quips Gerhardt, who grew up in Aruba and has spent most of her adult life in Texas.
Mermaid Ranch is a natural fusion of her waterfront and Lone Star state influences — and her arts and display background.
“I was an art major in college and I started working in retail doing visual displays in Houston for many years, working my way up to most of the top stores there,” Gerhardt says.
A mix of necklaces, earrings and more is like eye candy in the middle of the store.
A mix of necklaces, earrings and more is like eye candy in the middle of the store.
She shifted gears to mural painting and coordinating decor for children’s rooms, along with painting furniture and creating coastal home accessories out of found pieces like driftwood, shells and repurposed antiques.
These collective experiences culminated into opening Mermaid Ranch in 2014 — a sea-swept home for the decor and wearables she and her husband Harper had been creating for years.
Mermaid Ranch has evolved and expanded into a thoughtfully merchandised boutique with an array of coastal jewelry, apparel, tableware, gifts and accessories that include local artists’ work and ZIP code protection from brands such as Spartina.
How do coastal and western mesh so seamlessly?
Gerhardt arranges the shop so it’s a sea of beachy products with a ranch room that carries on a decidedly blue-green motif with jewelry such as turquoise and silver, rustic furniture that has a driftwood vibe and items with a “farmhouse feel.”
At Mermaid Ranch, sea glass meets cowhide and the combo works.
Gerhardt says, “I go to market and get what I love.”
Mermaid style
When scouting for baubles to sell at the shop, Gerhardt focuses on seaworthy selections like oyster shells, sea glass, mother of pearl, starfish, seashells — and of course, mermaids.
“I feel it’s important for customers to hold the jewelry and try it on. They are more likely to buy it if they can touch it.” — Susan Gerhardt
“Our whole store is pretty much a turquoise beachy vibe,” she says, leaning heavily toward pieces that suit the Mermaid Ranch color wheel: blue, green and sandy tones.
“Our coastal section has lots of turquoise, shells and freshwater pearls that make you think of the ocean, and our western side is more turquoise and silver,” she describes.
Gerhardt seeks out carefully finished pieces, such as oyster jewelry by Kathryn Papasan. Some are decoupaged, others lined with vermeil. The shop offers a selection of oyster pieces — earrings, bracelets and necklaces. “Some are decorative pieces like something you might drape over a wine bottle if you are giving a gift,” she relates.
Mermaid Ranch also carries Sadie Green’s sea glass line, from rings to bangles, anklets and pendants. The tumbled, recycled glass pieces are hand-wrapped in silver-plated wire and appeal to visitors and locals.
“Sea glass is always a draw in a coastal town,” says Gerhardt.
A dedicated display of Spartina 449 jewelry includes gold-plated pieces in shell and oyster motifs. “Their logo is a mermaid, so we love that!” quips Gerhardt.
Also, she appreciates the brand’s “ZIP code protection” as an exclusive Spartina 449 seller in the area. “We feel fortunate because it’s important to keep our shop different than others along the main street,” Gerhardt says.
Starfish, pearls and other coastal themes are big sellers at Mermaid Ranch.
“I try to keep the items we offer interesting and to find new lines to carry,” she says. “There are lots of gift stores here that carry a little bit of everything, and we want our shop to be a destination. If I see someone carrying a line we have here, I may say, ‘OK. Let’s move forward and get something else.’”
By no means is Gerhardt fickle with brand representation. The shop’s longtime lines earn repeat customers and artists’ jewelry is always evolving, giving guests reason to check back to see what’s new.
“Keeping prices reasonable has allowed us to do a great jewelry business,” Gerhardt adds. “We have ladies buying for themselves all the time, and customers tell us our prices are fair.”
Price point span between $12 to $65. Gerhardt says customers splurge on more pieces this way.
“I do think our pricing increases bag size,” she says.
So does offering a “side of ranch” in the jewelry category, such as Texas-shaped pendants and earrings. Gerhardt says, “Tourists love them because they get to take home a piece of Texas and locals love them because they are Texas proud.”
Best of show
Jewelry at Mermaid Ranch isn’t stowed behind locked, glass counters or displayed only at the cash wrap.
“I feel it’s important for customers to hold the jewelry and try it on,” Gerhardt says. “They are more likely to buy it if they can touch it.”
Gerhardt, a beachcomber at heart, incorporates seaside finds from nearby and the Bahamas. Then, she pours her visual merchandising talent into the shop’s inviting window and product displays.
Mermaid Ranch incorporates conch shells and driftwood to display jewelry.
Conch shells become vessels for rings. Driftwood is a natural display for necklaces and bracelets.
On the western side of the shop, Gerhardt might set her grandmother’s antique silver serving pieces on a display table. She fills them with sparkly gravel and sets jewelry on top.
“Presentation is everything and you have to keep displays sparkling to capture customers’ attention,” Gerhardt emphasizes.
Jewelry is located in the center of the shop and close to coastal apparel. Gerhardt notices as her clothing offering and sales have expanded, jewelry is moving swiftly, too. “People will buy an outfit and they want earrings or a necklace to go with it,” she says, adding that Mermaid Ranch’s associates mingle with customers to answer questions and offer ideas.
The team assists with displays, too.
“We have a joke in the store — if you touch it or move it, it sells the next day,” Gerhardt says of keeping the presentation fresh. She adds, “I couldn’t do it without my great group of loyal salesgirls who keep the store looking great. It gives them pride in the store, too, when displays are looking fluffed and pretty.”
Gerhardt says she picks colors that create a feeling of coastal calm.
“Almost daily, someone comes in and says what a relaxing feeling they get when they are here,” she explains. “I’m touched when I hear that my happy place generates a happy feeling for them, too.”
