Nautical Treasures Moves Inland

Diane Robinson has a new lease on life and a new lease.

It's been a tough six months for the woman who owns Nautical Treasures and spent her New Year's Eve packing the store up, in a move by the Harbor that she considered rude and insensitive.

This weekend, however, things were looking up, as she opened the shop of sea-themed curios downtown, across from the Museum of Art & History at 111 Cooper Street.

"It's been a really hard time and I don't think it was done fairly," she said. 

Robinson got notice in October that her lease was up and she had to clear the entire store by January. The 1,500-square-foot building was up for bids and it had to be vacant, even though she had expected to bid.

She said that she never has been paid for damages from the tsunami two years ago, even though the Harbor counted her $120,000 in damages as part of its total for reimbursement. 

And, the final straw, the Harbor kept $3,000 of her deposit, even though she says she had done $100,000 of upgrades to the building and left it spotless. She's filed suit against the Harbor for that. 

But she's happy in the new $1,900 square-foot location at one third the rent.