WESTPORT ISLAND—An old potting shed that had been sitting in Joelle and Adam Webber’s backyard for years has been transformed into a neighborhood drive-by art shack. Instead of a roadside fruit and vegetable stand, imagine a tiny space filled with handmade crafts—all for sale on the honor system.

“The shed was pretty run down, and last summer I spent a day every week refurbishing it,” said Joelle Webber. “It was the happiest day of my week.”

Webber, who crafts sculptural and artist books under the name Mermaid Bindery, thought it would make the perfect space to share her crafts with the public without having to start a brick-and-mortar shop. Her home is in Westport Island, a quiet, small Maine community in the Midcoast area of Sheepscot Bay with about 720 year-round residents.

“Westport Island is a unique area geographically, but our craft shed is not the first one on the island,” she said. “There’s a potter nearby who also operates this curbside cottage industry. It seemed like a really fun thing to do. I also knew I didn’t want the shed just to contain my own work, but also to share the work of several other artists in the area.”

The micro-craft businesses include Amy Mussman’s Mainely Primsicals, featuring cotton and wool fabric animals and creatures and Heather Webber, Off the Sheep, a word-of-mouth fiber arts business.

“I essentially think of Crafts in the Woods as a fiber arts shed to distinguish it from the potter’s shed down the road,” said Webber.

The craft shed is located at the end of the couple’s driveway at 75 East Shore Road, Westport Island. “It’s completely on the honor system,” she said. “We’ve been open since late July and most people who know about us are from the community. People drive up, take a look around, and we have little tags that go with each item. People tear off half the tag and attach the money with a paperclip into the cashbox so we know what has sold.”

The Webbers, who both love books, also offer a lending library out of the craft shed, so people can borrow books without having to check them out and just return them at an unspecified date.

“So far, it’s been a really great experience,” she said.

To learn more about Crafts in The Woods, visit their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com