"We've done business with Robert Plant, Shaquille O'Neal, Jeff Foxworthy, Carrot Top, Chip Carey, Stephen Tyler, Fred Schneider, Pat Schroeder, Jay Leno..."
Glenn Rogers' list of the celebrities who have enlisted the services of his store Boom Art went on a lot longer, but I was afraid my pen would run out of ink. A one-of-a-kind shop if there ever was one, Winter Park's Boom Art has become known across the country. The store, which is no bigger in size than a couple of bedrooms, has been spotlighted on Home and Garden TV, and a feature on the shop has been a part of the in-flight entertainment programming on Virgin Atlantic Air since August 2002. Located near the sumptuous White Wolf Café and across from Central Florida's top vinyl merchants Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, Boom Art resides on one of the Winter Park's hippest streets.
Formed nearly 10 years ago by Glenn and his wife and co-founder Sandy, Boom Art is a friendly mom-and-pop shop specializing in motley hand-painted art heavy on nostalgia, pulp, pop-culture, music, exploitation and fads.
"We try to make it affordable for everyone to give something original as a gift," Glenn said. Indeed, countless items ranging from Gone With the Wind switchplate covers to Wonder Woman luggage are exclusive to Boom Art. In fact, much of the store's merchandise is simply discarded objects converted into art.
"We're the ultimate in recycling," Glenn said. "We give found objects a second chance."
Boom Art's items are so popular and unique, other shop owners are prone to buying them and re-selling them across the country. The slick and retro plastic coating preserves the furniture items so they last for lifetimes. "These things turn into family heirlooms," said Glenn, as he walked past a stool with the Beatles painted on it.
What's more impressive is that Glenn and Sandy do all of the custom painting themselves. Whether it be a meticulous portrait of the Simpsons on a desk/chair combo or a lifelike depiction of Hendrix on a guitar, the Rogers' abilities to paint any and all requests is incredible. "We've never not been able to do something and we've never missed a deadline," Glenn said proudly.
His immense talent in furnishing and design formed at an early age, where he was the youngest designer ever at an international flooring and home furnishings company. From then on, Glenn and Sandy's story is just as fun and quirky as their store. They met as artists and performers at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where Sandy was one of the first female professional circus clowns. An expert juggler and director of Barnum & Bailey's Clown College, Sandy went on to teach the first accredited course in Circus Clowning in U.S. history. Glenn would pursue an acting and writing career, where he penned sketches for Saturday Night Live and appeared in Ernest Saves Christmas, Parenthood and Quick Change. Glenn's fine art paintings have been displayed in Soho and New York.
Boom Art is a fascinating place to visit, with prices to accommodate all income brackets. Even if you don't purchase anything, it's worth checking out for the sheer artistic ingenuity. After all, it's not everywhere you can find Superman and Batman salt shakers, nightlights shaped like guitars, "office tramp" and "sorority slut" cologne, and campy hanging tins with images right out of a Roger Corman picture.
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