Crabby Lady Swag Shack

Jim and Erin Feehan, co-owners of Goodland’s Crabby Lady waterside restaurant, have spent the past two and a half years dramatically transforming their establishment into what Jim now describes as “the Crabby Village.”

In addition to the original restaurant building with outside dining, Crabby Lady now features a brand new “swag shack” that sells about 50 Crabby Lady-branded items; a two-bedroom waterfront Airbnb property with its own boat slip; a beach area with sand and a covered performance stage; and a fully refurbished dock with 18 slips and a full-time dockmaster.

The new Crabby Lady Swag Shack is a free-standing, air-conditioned 500-square-foot building that replaces the small trailer where Crabby Lady’s merchandise was previously sold and offers more than four times the number of items sold from the trailer. The Swag Shack is across the parking lot from the original building and the Airbnb is between the two.

“We have t-shirts, sweatshirts, beach bags, rain jackets, blankets, keychains, shot glasses, tumblers, hoodies, you name it,” said Erin. 

The jewelry, pottery, and photography are all from local artists. Some of the apparel features the tongue-in-cheek slogan: “Goodland, Florida. A drinking village with a fishing problem.”

The exterior of the Swag Shack is adorned with a colorful mural that features the Feehan’s Golden Retrievers Molly and Millie. The mural was painted by Ryanne Curnow, a former Florida resident now living in Scottsdale, Arizona, who recently painted the mural while in town. 

Jim credits the close-knit Goodland community for Crabby Lady’s success and expansion.

“We’ve had a lot of people who have given us ideas that have helped with all of this, so we can’t take credit for it all,” he said. “It’s kind of a community thing.”

He also noted that the waterfront property has suffered continuous damage through the various storms over the past two and a half years but is standing strong and ready for the season. “With all the hurricanes and everything we’ve been through, the people from Goodland have been fantastic,” he said. “They all came out each time and helped us clean up. It’s been a total team effort.”

The Feehans also give credit to Crabby Lady’s employees. “A huge thank you to our staff,” said Erin. “They work so hard to make this place so special.”