By Greg Ellison
(May 20,2021) Adding a new wrinkle to Berlin’s varied artistic ventures, the Mermaid Museum opened on Main Street in late March with a curated collection of oddities related to seafarer’s tales of yesteryear.
An official ribbon cutting was held last week at the 4 Jefferson Street location with town officials on hand to welcome owner Alyssa Maloof and celebrate what is said to be the world’s first museum of its sort.
“I want it to be a fun addition that will lift up the whole town a little bit,” she said.
Among the various sights held upstairs at the historic Odd Fellows building in downtown Berlin is an authentic Fiji mermaid, a fish-monkey hybrid creature made infamous in traveling sideshows operated by P.T. Barnum.
Maloof began compiling the collection of mermaid-themed items after the covid-19 outbreak last year.
“It was a matter of finding the bigger things first,” she said.
After securing anchor display pieces, Maloof continued building a stockpile of mermaid artifacts, including supposed hair and nail samples.
“The museum is still slowly evolving,” she said.
Maloof, who works as a professional photographer in addition to a mermaid expert, initially took over the upstairs floor at 4 Jefferson Street in 2018, which formerly housed the Yarn Store.
“I procured it for a photo studio,” she said.
After using the locale to stage photo shoots for several years, changes abounded in 2020.
“During covid I didn’t have a lot to shoot,” she said.
Left with plenty of down time during the pandemic last year, Maloof turned a germ of an idea into the new undertaking.
“It was a big leap,” she said. “I’ve never created a museum, but I do have a master’s in fine art.”
After securing a business line of credit through Taylor Bank, Maloof decided to take a chance and pursue a passion.
“I’ve been around a lot of art,” she said. “It’s been my field.”
With financial backing in hand, Maloof began searching the Internet for artists and to do research.
“I had contemplated a mermaid museum but never fully trusted myself to go for it,” she said.
Since opening to the public in March, Maloof said the historical overview of mystical mermaids has proven fascinating for a wide range of age groups.
“Grandpops have loved it, little kids get to run wild in there and other people are just confused,” she said. “It gets people thinking a little bit.”
The Mermaid Museum is open six days a week, excluding Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission costing $11.
Besides offering mermaid lore, Maloof said the museum also provides an opportunity for the public to admire the historical building hosting the collection.
“I wanted people to be able to see … and be in that space,” she said.
Maloof said opening the museum was a labor of love that brought immense satisfaction.
“Hopefully, it brings joy to other people,” she said.
To learn more visit http://berlinmermaidmuseum.com