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The Flying Fish Trading Company on Fort Myers Beach has a little of everything! You will find some of the most unique and hard-to-find nautical items here. As you enter you will be met by the meeter and greeter Brady... he is a darling Havanese puppy. I don't know that breed, but he sure is cute and has his own Web site! I talked with one of the owners, Carla Green, who said she and her partner bought the business about a year ago.

Everything in here has a nautical theme. I saw brass compasses, barometers, and port holes that were made into mirrors. There's everything from boat anchors to dive helmets! There were all the nautical knots in frames. I never could figure out how they could tie all those different knots! There are Japanese fishing floats in all colors and sizes.

They had the cutest tropical lamps from $129 to $149. If you were doing a room with a beachy theme, these would be perfect! A lot of detail on them. Very nice watercolors by Robert Kline that started at $10.95, mostly pictures of mermaids, all in nice soft colors.

You could decorate a wall with the oars or hang a 5-foot string of cork and balls that ran $45.95.

Of course, you will find shells here, from a big bag of shells for $3.95 to individual shells with the starfish and sandollars starting at just 50 cents. There's a cute sign of a pirate that says "Time Flies When Having Rum!"

What's a nautical store without lighthouses and sailboats? You can find them here, sailboats of all sizes and prices. Lobster floats and lobster traps...I had to haul one all the way back from Nova Scotia...my kids insisted!! And here they are on Fort Myers Beach!

There was a whole array of mermaids and beach pictures, even clever beach glass earrings. The Pirate Island Puzzles would keep you busy... pretty challenging -- you get three different puzzles in a box of different scenes with tiny holes in them, you had to wiggle the box until you got the tiny ball bearings in the holes. All that entertainment for $16.95.

I loved the message in a bottle. It comes in a keepsake box, the bottle, the note and sealing wax for $12.95. Carla told of a grandpa who bought one for his grandchild. She had it all ready to go, he took her out in a boat and the little girl liked it so much wouldn't throw it overboard! Priceless!

There were wood carvings but what struck my eye was a beautiful wood box that contained a lovely telescope, only $36.95. What sailor wouldn't appreciate this?

There are also some antiques sold here. I saw an antique fighter chair that was in mint condition from the 1940s. It would make any grown man cry... fisherman that is! They currently have a collection of antique spyglass telescopes and several old brass flare guns. Also old nautical charts from all over the world.

The big thing at The Flying Fish Trading Company are their Adirondack chairs with a beach attitude! They will custom build one for you with the tops of palm trees,sail boats, pelicans having cocktails or you name it! They will even make one for you out of your favorite surf board! Carla said over 1,000 chairs were sold in just one year! They will make them, sand them ready to paint and ship them to you. She had 14 kits ready to go out the day I was there... I was amazed! They start at $255. They also make custom furniture, headboards, tables, loveseats or rockers. There were some lovely hand-painted chests, boat coffee tables, and smokestack stools to name a few of the other furniture items they carry.

So grab your mate and get on down there to see the treasures that await you!

The Flying Fish Trading Company is located at 2471 Estero Blvd. on Fort Myers Beach. Phone: 463-9900. Hours are Monday-Friday. 9-6, Saturday, 10-5 and Sunday, 12-5.

Look for the colorful Andirondack chairs!