ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — A holdover of the once numerous roadside attractions that lined U.S. 1 from Jacksonville to Key West, the Rain Barrel Village is collection of eccentric, colorful buildings serving as a home for artists and art sellers in the Florida Keys.
While the rustic outpost might be easy for travelers on the Overseas Highway to pass without notice, the giant lobster out front is not.
Rain Barrel Village, on an Islamorada island, promises visitors a unique experience filled with paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothing, handcrafted goods and island-inspired souvenirs. Besides shops offering original artwork, the Village is home to Betsy, a 30-foot-tall, 40-foot-long (9-meter-tall, 12-meter-long) sculpture of a Florida Keys spiny lobster.
A family’s heartbeat
Sande Keil, who owns Rain Barrel Village with her husband, said the Keys became part of her family’s heartbeat after the Miami couple bought a vacation home on Islamorada in 1978.
“When the Rain Barrel Village came up for sale in 2007, I didn’t see a business. I saw a way to continue our story in the Keys,” Keil said. “The Village already had a soul. I just knew it needed someone to preserve it and to help grow it.”
Named after the large cisterns that once provided drinking water to the Keys, Rain Barrel Village isn’t just about selling souvenirs, it is about supporting a community, Keil said. As an artist herself, Keil is proud to support other artists, artisans and small business owners and give them a space where they also can build something real.
“We’ve poured love, hard work and intention into the Rain Barrel,” Keil said. “We’ve created something that reflects who we are.”
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