I’ve been to six Caribbean islands (not counting the Keys) and St. Lucia is coming in at number two on my best shopping list. There isn’t a lot of shopping on the island, but what there is, is excellent. If you can tear yourself away from the baby soft sand on the beaches, the glorious peaks, and the excellent dining, shopping should be high on your list.

Although St. Lucia is not huge (28 miles long, about 238 square miles total), it is time-consuming to get around because

the roads are mountainous, narrow, and completely unlabeled. Because of this we concentrated on three shopping areas: Castries, Rodney Bay, and Choiseul. Plan to break this up into at least two days. Choiseul is far south and is a day unto itself. If you are staying in the south, you will want to come north only once since it is a long way.

Castries

Everything you read will tell you to go to the Castries Market. I’m telling you don’t bother. This is just like any other

Caribbean market. It’s all junk made overseas. If you’re looking for cheap, mass-produced “souvenirs,” make it a stop. I’m not interested in any of that, so we took a peek and then ditched it. The shopping you should be interested in is up in the hills. And it’s really hard to find. Google Maps essentially threw up its hands and said “Good luck!” to us. It did get us close enough to spot a sign for one of the shops we were looking for and once there we were able to get directions to the other places we wanted to find. It was worth a trip for the shopping and also for the amazing view up there.

Caribelle Batik

This was the only store we found on our own and it was worth it. St. Lucia is known for batik and this is the place to go to buy it. You can watch a demonstration, enjoy the view from their terrace,

and do a lot of shopping. There’s even a free washroom (hard to find on the island!).  If you visit when a tour bus is there, there are also refreshments and music. We were the only shoppers the day we visited. The shop has a large selection of batik clothing for men, women, and children. I’m giving them a special shout out since they carried some plus sizes which are always hard to find in the Caribbean. Batik purses, glasses cases, bags, scarves, wraps, and more are also available. I toyed with buying a large wrap and using it as a tablecloth, but couldn’t find quite the right one. There is a fascinating collection of botanical jewelry made from threads and thin yarn. Very unique. It wasn’t quite right for me, but is worth a look. You’ll find other souvenirs such soaps made on the island, mugs, towels, magnets, flags, bookmarks, bottled sauces, and some art prints. We spent a lot of time browsing and I left with a dress, soap, glasses case, tea towel (which I use as quirky napkins) and bookmarks. Get directions to the other shops listed below while you are here. They are simple to find with directions.

Bagshaws

Bagshaws is another batik house and was not a favorite for me. They seem to be catering to tour buses. They have one large, entire room for demonstrations and not a

lot to purchase. Most of the purchases don’t even look like batik and are floral prints. I did buy a Bagshaws tea towel at the airport of all places and did not see that particular design at the shop. We visited at the end of the tourist season so they may have more earlier in the year. It is also likely to be livelier if you come when a tour group is there. They also have a lovely view. Another free washroom here as well.

The Pink Plantation House

I fell in love with the Pink Plantation House which is a stunning old plantation home set on the side of a hill with glorious views. It’s a restaurant with an interior room that sells locally made pottery. I bought only a bookmark here since the pottery ended up not quite being my thing, but it was beautiful and well-made and I highly recommend it. Plan to stop for lunch. The menu looked good and it’s an amazing setting for a relaxed lunch.

Eudovic’s Art Studio

I didn’t make any purchases at this shop either, which contains local, handmade, local wooden masks. They are beautifully done and worth a peek if masks interest you.

Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay is the area that was the easiest navigate since everything is on one flat road in a highly trafficked tourist area, right at Reduit

Beach. There is even a parking ramp, which was free when we were visiting. Be sure to check out the beach (you pull in right past the police station and park next to the sand). The beach has a view of Pigeon Island and the bay is filled with sailboats. Chairs can be rented and it’s a great place to spend an afternoon.

Sea Island Cotton

This shop is in the Baywalk Shopping Mall (but has an entrance on the street as well), next to the grocery store (which is of Whole Foods quality, a stark comparison to most stores on the island: they’re catering to the yachts). This shop is either owned by the same people as Caribelle Batik or Caribelle is a big vendor. There is a reasonable selection of Caribelle Batik items in this shop (great if you don’t want to wind up the hill in Castries). They have a large selection of other clothing as well and my daughter and I both bought several beautiful and very unique to the Caribbean pieces here. The likelihood of me being able to wear these tropical sundresses in Buffalo is slim, but I had to own them (I’ll just have to come back to the Caribbean to wear them!). They also carry mugs, toys, frames, magnets, purses, bags,

towels, and jewelry. They have the same botanical jewelry Caribelle Batik carries but also have a selection of mass-produced pieces that are not local. Some of those were unique and I did buy a beaded bracelet cuff. Pop into the grocery store next door (enter through the mall or parking garage) to buy bottled sauces (I brought home banana ketchup and passion fruit sauce), dried sea moss, dried cinnamon in big bunches, or cacoa sticks for making cacao tea.

Island Mix

Walk down to where the road curves to the left for the beach (or drive and park your car along the beach side) to visit the

tiny artisan shop right near the corner. Everything in the shop was locally made. I bought only a magnet, but eyeballed scarves, jewelry, plates, artwork, ornaments, and more. Everything in this shop is well-made and lovely.

Choiseul

If you are staying in the Sugar Bay area or are driving down to see the volcano, Choiseul is just a bit further south. Google Maps again thumbed its nose at us, but we were able to stumble on the first shop and then get directions to the second. Both are

on the main road in the area, coming south from Sourfriere. This was the best shopping in my opinion.

Choiseul Arts and Crafts

This shop does not look fantastic from the outside, but it really was delightful inside.

Everything is handmade on the island by a variety of artisans. The ladies running the shop had a very heavy accent and were a bit hard to understand, but were helpful. They took only cash (everyone on the island will take US dollars without an

issue) and had a free washroom (score!). The shop carries a big collection of baskets and of course I had to have one. They also have pottery (I bought a vase), magnets, dolls, animal figurines, cacao

tea sticks (basically a log of pressed cocoa that you grate over hot water to make a drink), and some artwork. I bought half a coconut painted with the Pitons.

Choiseul Art Gallery

This was my biggest find of the trip. Harriet and her husband came to St.

Lucia from England. They bought a small farm and opened an art gallery. Their dogs and goats are running around. Harriet is an artist. She makes beautiful paintings. She’s also written a book. Her husband is handy and crafts amazing things out of island fruits, paper, metal, and just about anything he can get his

hands on. This shop is not to be missed. The only thing that kept me from buying half of it was that their credit card machine was down and we had to pay with the limited cash we had on us. They were lovely people to talk to and I could have bought just about everything they were selling. I came home with a print, a

calabash basket, a tray, and a bowl made of paper. This is a not to be missed shop.

 

 

I’ve been to six Caribbean islands (not counting the Keys) and St. Lucia is coming in at number two on my best shopping list. There isn’t a lot of shopping on the island, but what there is, is excellent. If you can tear yourself away from the baby soft sand on the beaches, the glorious … Read more →

There are quite a few things I look to buy when traveling, but an item that I often recommend to anyone looking to start a souvenir collection is the bookmark. I have over 80 bookmarks I’ve collected in my travels, and I hope to add more with future trips. So what makes the bookmark the perfect souvenir?

Portability

Bookmarks are small and nearly weightless. You don’t have to worry about how you’ll get them home, if they will break, or if you have room in your suitcase. Even if you’re traveling with carry on luggage you can bring them home. You don’t even have to really pack them, just stick them in an outside pocket or inside a book.

 

Cost

Bookmarks are cheap! It is only in rare instances that I have spent more than $5 for a bookmark, even the artisan-made unique bookmarks I search out. You can easily bring home a souvenir from everywhere you go without making a dent in your budget, yet they make a big impact (more about this later). This is also a great benefit because you can simply buy them as you see them – no deciding if you might find a better one later in the trip. Buy all the ones you see and then decide when you get home which ones belong in your collection.

 

Availability

While bookmarks aren’t in every cheap souvenir store the way shot glasses, thimbles, and t-shirts are, they are still relatively easy to find. They’re often positioned near the register in shops. Shops at museums and historical sites frequently carry bookmarks. Stores carrying artisan crafts often sell them. You can also find them at galleries and craft co-ops where there are sometimes bookmarks that are mini prints of the art carried in the store.

 

Servicability

Unlike a lot of souvenirs, you can actually use bookmarks in your daily life. They are great for marking your page in the novel you’re reading, but they can also be stuck in your cookbooks to mark your favorite recipes or in your Bible or book of poetry to hold a favorite section. It’s a lovely surprise to open a book and be reminded of a place you visited.

 

Uniqueness

I’ve never met anyone else who collects bookmarks as a souvenir, so you will be part of a small class.  Your bookmark collection will be eye-catching and surprise people who see it.

 

Artistic Quality

Although bookmarks are definitely made to be used, they also are easy to display. I create groupings of bookmarks in large frames and hang them on the walls of my office. Many of them are really small works of art. I have bookmarks that are quilted, pressed flowers, metal, gemstones, carved wood, leatherworked, lace, graphic prints, photographs, woven fabric, and even glass. Because they are so tiny, you can display many in a small space.

Start by picking up a couple of bookmarks on your next trip. Stick them into books or wait until you have about 10 to frame them. They make the perfect souvenir.

There are quite a few things I look to buy when traveling, but an item that I often recommend to anyone looking to start a souvenir collection is the bookmark. I have over 80 bookmarks I’ve collected in my travels, and I hope to add more with future trips. So what makes the bookmark the … Read more →

Check out my second guest post on My Itchy Travel Feet about buying unique and special mementos on your travels.

Check out my second guest post on My Itchy Travel Feet about buying unique and special mementos on your travels.

I’ve got a guest post up on Donna Hull’s amazing travel site, My Itchy Travel Feet with advice and tips about how to find unique souvenirs on your travels that will make excellent mementos. I hope you will check it out!

I’ve got a guest post up on Donna Hull’s amazing travel site, My Itchy Travel Feet with advice and tips about how to find unique souvenirs on your travels that will make excellent mementos. I hope you will check it out!

I’m halfway through my posts about all of our stops in Italy, so let’s take a rest stop and talk about shopping (don’t worry, there will be lengthy foodie posts to come as well!)

Pre-Shopping

Before I leave on a trip, I try to find out what the specialty items of the area are. For Italy, I determined that I should look for handmade glass and lace (and locally made lace is hard to find and expensive since most of it is just made in factories in Asia now) in Venice, handcrafted paper and leather in Florence, and lemon products and custom-made sandals in Sorrento. Cameos are another specialty in Italy. I also read about glass or stone mosaics throughout the country.

I have several specific collections I am always looking to add to: bookmarks and magnets are the cheapest, although bookmarks can be hard to find. I always am looking for Christmas ornaments, Easter eggs and cups, handmade baskets, locally made soap, fun food items to bring home, and watercolor paintings depicting the area. It helps to have specific things to look for.

Venice

The shopping in Venice was fantastic. There were so many stores, it was hard to focus. This was also our first city, so we were jet lagged and trying to adjust to the terrible heat! We took a vaporetto to the island of Murano which was

an amazing place to visit, but they had so much glass that is made there on the island that it was hard to choose! Some of the glass is very expensive. One shop had a few glass mosaic pieces, but none were right.

I found two great bookmarks in Venice, one with a tassel (which they sell many of in Venice) and one with Murano glass.

We bought our Venice painting from an artist in the campo right in front of our hotel, next to a canal. It was one of those perfect settings.

Florence

There was a lovely shopping section in Florence on the far side of the Arno, just past the Ponte

Vecchio, but I wish it had been bigger. This area had some terrific artisan shops where we bought leather items and a beautiful painted tray. My husband bought a wallet and we got the leather trays I photographed. I found bookmarks here and little books of paintings from each city which will hang on my book tree in my office.

I bought my painting in Florence (the long narrow on in the front of the photo below) in a small courtyard outside the Uffizi where artists were selling their work. Artists were also selling things in the Plaza Repubblica at night. I find that areas where

tourists gather in the evenings are good places to find local paintings that are inexpensive. I rarely pay more than $20 for paintings like these.

I looked at gorgeous stone mosaics in Florence, but could not bring myself to spend a minimum of 250 Euros for one. So those have now taken up residence in the museum in my mind (all the things I wished I had bought and didn’t on all of my trips!).

Rome

Rome was a challenge for shopping, but we did find a nice little grouping of shops near the Pantheon. Everything else was junky souvenir shops or expensive designer shopping. There were several shops with nice pottery in Rome.

I bought a painting in Rome, but it’s a print that I saw lots of street vendors selling. I could not find any artists selling original paintings.

I saw a gorgeous handpainted leather purse I came very close to buying, but the back of it had some scratches. They didn’t have any others. Another item added to the museum of my mind.

Pompeii

We took a tour of Pompeii and I did not expect to buy anything there other than my fun little cheap magnet (I buy one every place we go and they decorate the file cabinet in my office). However, our guide took us into a cameo store, where an elderly man sits hand-making cameos.  They were beautiful and my daughter and I each bought one (ok, I bought two). The artist signed them on the back and also wrote our

initials on the back. I really wanted a blue cameo, but they told us those are always made in factories. The ones we bought are handmade from shells.

Sorrento

Sorrento had a wonderful shopping section, very quaint with narrow

alleys and cobblestone streets, just off the Tasso piazza. It was a shopper’s paradise. There were so many shops selling leather purses that I was dizzy!

My daughter had sandals handmade for her here (you go in and pick out the elements you want on them and they have it ready the next day: they do not actually hand-make the sole however – they just put together the pieces you select). Limoncello is a big product here, but I bought lemon soap and honey since we don’t care for alcohol.  My husband bought a beautiful leather bag and a belt here.

We had dinner one night down in Marina Grande, a tiny little beach area. There was an old woman selling lace just behind the beach. She was sitting and doing lacework, so there is a chance the lace I bought did not come from Asia, so I bought one lace doily.

We also stumbled upon a truly fantastic HUGE store called Gargiulio and Januzzi. They sold inlaid wood boxes and plaques, some glass jewelry and a big room of amazing Italian pottery and linens. Downstairs was a big room with marquetry inlay furniture which was gorgeous. I had to get out of that room or I would have had the entire thing shipped home. I bought some pottery and a table runner, as well as an inlay wood box (all still being shipped home, so no photos). Very high quality items and very good customer service. The shipping was free which was a nice bonus.

Capri

We visited the island of Capri on a tour, but only went to the town of Anacapri where the shopping was rather limited. I had high hopes for Capri, but didn’t buy much, other than the beautiful hydrangea glass plate I’ve photographed with my Murano glass. My daughter and I bought the lace bracelets I photographed with the lace doily here.

I could not find a painting on Capri (there was one shop in Anacapri with paintings and the owner was so aggressive, I could not even really look at his work. We ended up buying one in Sorrento of Capri the next day, so that worked out ok.

Not pictured are t-shirts and sweatshirts other members of the family brought home, as well as a couple pairs of earrings my daughter bought and promptly put into use!

We also had to make an emergency suitcase purchase at a train station! My daughter’s suitcase zipper broke. The train station in Rome had a big suitcase shop and we got a nice one for about 50 Euro, which was a nice bargain. We tried to throw out the broken suitcase, but everyone we asked told us to just set it outside the main doors of the station and someone would take it!

Overall, it was a successful trip in terms of shopping and now I am trying to figure out where to put it all! I have to get the paintings framed, which is always a challenge. I can often find frames and mattes at Michael’s but sometimes they are not standard sizes and I have to have them framed.

I always feel as though I am buying a ton, then I get it all home and it really isn’t a lot. It’s always so nice to have lovely little items to remind me of our trips!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m halfway through my posts about all of our stops in Italy, so let’s take a rest stop and talk about shopping (don’t worry, there will be lengthy foodie posts to come as well!) Pre-Shopping Before I leave on a trip, I try to find out what the specialty items of the area are. For … Read more →