Whimsy Key West

Whimsy Key West is Barb Sage's line of hand-painted work, and the premise is that almost anything is a surface. Roller skates, lamps, wooden signs, stationery, wall art, and vintage mannequin torsos all get the same treatment: dense, loud color and pattern that owes more to the island's general refusal to be tasteful than to any gallery style. Her own summary of it is three words, fun, funky, fresh, and that is about right.

You will find her inside Sacred Space on Stock Island, which is worth the trip in its own right. It is a collective of nine local women artists working side by side next door to Soul House Home Decor, and the range across one room is genuinely wide: screenprinted apparel from Cocky KW, paper-cut Key West scenes made with a scalpel by Lucy Hawk, hand-painted soy candles from Bella Laine, driftwood and textile wall hangings, paintings, and ocean-inspired jewelry. One of the founders calls it the girl power headquarters, and that is the feel of the place.

Stock Island is a short drive off the main island and it is where a lot of Key West's actual working and making happens, away from the Duval crowds. For anyone who wants to buy something made by the person standing in front of them, this is one of the better rooms in the Lower Keys to do it in.