“I’ve been
told I’m the
lady who
has the
quirky
store,” she
laughed.
Everything
from
the pine needle
baskets on
the shelves to
handmade jewelry
hanging from drift
wood displays shows
her love for nature. There
are no “made in China” stickers
found in her store, and she is proud of that.
“I was raised in Port Charlotte, and my husband
is from Punta Gorda,” she said. “We used to come
to the beach when I was a kid and hang out, maybe
drink a few beers and really enjoy ourselves. I’ve
always thought of this island as paradise.”
It has been her goal to get back to this area, so in
2010 she sold her business to come back. With her
constant drive to collect seashells, she knew where
she wanted to be.
“This place is magical to me, I’ve collected more
than 10,000 shells and driven my family nuts,
spending hours by the pool cleaning them,” she
laughed.
Cheryl’s original plan to return to Boca Grande
included owning and operating a tiki bar, but in 2010
she found out she had breast cancer.
“Everything was stonewalled for years,” she said. “I
put my tiki bar idea on the back burner and was
really down in the dumps. Then my daughter bought
me a mirror, and told me to make something for my
granddaughter. I used some of my shells to decorate
it, and suddenly I had a skill I never knew I
had. I had never thought of myself as being creative
like that, but I just stayed with it.”
That was when CD Hardy Originals, the name
of her company, was born.
While much of the work in her shop is done
by other artists, Cheryl’s mirrors are becoming
quite well known. One mirror took her four
months to complete and features barnacles and
shells: It’s hanging in her store now. Custom shell
designs are the order of the day, and customers
are given their choice of size, shape and color
pallets.
“We delivered a piece of art, a huge clock, to
a home in Cape Haze. The house featured a big
staircase with a landing, and my clock is right
there. It’s a piece of me, and it means a lot to
know someone else appreciates it so much,” she
said.
She has also started making lamps with oyster
shells and coral, a natural path for her as she is
also a master electrician.
This summer has been hard for Cheryl, with
no shelling, no swimming and no fishing. She still
loves the island, though, and knows things will
improve.
“I think this is where I’m meant to be,” she said.
“It’s been fun talking to people who have so
much love for shells, and to know how much
each piece means to them. I love people coming
in and seeing our art and being inspired, as well
as having people bring things in to inspire me. It’s
fabulous, I get lost in it.”
A primitive kind of guy
Daniel Godwin could not look more the part
of a “primitive” nature artist if he tried. With long,
flowing blonde hair and a crinkle to his smile that
shows years of someone who has loved sand, sun
and water very well, he doesn’t really like to talk
about himself. That might very well be why so
many people in Boca Grande have such an
affinity toward him.
Daniel was born and raised in
Sarasota (third generation)
and has grown up
with
58GASPARILLA ISLAND November/December 2018