CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS and other U. S. Virgin Islands Shopping Tips

Name of Shop: Duty Free Capital Of The Caribbean

Charlotte Amalie, the main port on St. Thomas, is the duty-free mecca of the Caribbean, and the huge cruise ships that dock at nearby Havensight regularly disgorge hoards of tourists hungry for those deals on designer items. In addition to the expected Hermes handbags & Rolex watches, you'll also find all sorts of art galleries, a wonderful shop full of lovely table linens, liquor stores, & jewelry stores.
Pick up a tourist brochure anywhere for ads, maps & listings to help you find what you want, or simply have fun rambling around the colorful alleyways & hidden courtyards.

Originally named 'Taphus' (which means 'Beer Hall'), Charlotte Amalie was renamed for Danish King Christian V's wife in 1691. Blessed with a protected deep water harbor, it was a boisterous pirates' lair for many years before it was a Danish possession. Then the Danes joined the Atlantic Slave Trade in the late 1600's, while still lending approval for the pirates to use CA as a port of refuge.

Today the old slave market at Market Square has been transformed into an open air local market, where vendors sell produce, sarongs, jewelry, T-shirts, & all sorts of inexpensive items.

Take a walking tour of CA to gain an appreciation for the history of this port: Frommer's Walking Tour

Historic Charlotte Amalie

What To Buy: Crystal, china, jewelry, cameras, other electronics, clothing, table linens, artwork, souvenirs - you name it! Also Larimer jewelry (Larimer is a lovely sky blue stone found only in the Caribbean Islands)

Overview: Shopping Charltte Amalie

The link below is for a good map of CA


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Website: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/st/camap.shtml

Name of Shop: Unique & Charming Arts & Crafts Marketplace

Reknowned English artist Jim Tillet founded the wonderful Tillett Gardens in the early 1960's, on the site of an old Danish farm. Although he is since deceased, his former protege Sonny Thomas keeps the dream alive, & reproduces Jim Tillett's work in the gallery that forms the heart of Tillett Gardens.

But this is far more than a cluster of galleries! In addition to the shops and artists' studios where you can purchase lovely raku pottery, jewelry, candles, herbs, local crafts & paintings, there is also an open air theatre with live performances of music & plays, ongoing classes for music & acting students, & recitals by the students. And then there's Pistarkle Theatre, the fully indoor & air conditioned facility too.

Relax at the Zen Retreat Day Spa, or pick up a bite to eat at one of the restaurants in the Gardens, & then just sit on a bench in the shade to watch the show.

What To Buy: Locally made quality artwork & crafts - and you can meet many of the artists who maintain working studios in Tillett Gardens


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Theme: Local Craft
Directions: From CA, follow the BLUE Tommy The Starfish signs out Highway 38 to the Anna's Retreat (Tutu) district - see St. Thomas interactive map link
Website: http://www.tillettgardens.com/index.html

Name of Shop: Island Artwork & Caribbean Style

Although some cruise ships also stop at Cruz Bay, you'll have no where near the crowds to contend with here on St. John. And the quality of local artwork far surpasses Charlotte Amalie's plethora of cheap imports & "collectibles". This is the island where a lot of the artists actually live!
This link gives a complete list for shopping Cruz Bay, with links to maps as well.

Below is a link to the interactive St. John map.

What To Buy: See the handpainted tank top I'm wearing in the view-from-Blackbeard's Castle pic on the Intro page, for one thing. Lots of cool unique items on STJ, as well as the usual pretty Larimer jewelry etc.


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Website: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/sj/sjmap.shtml

Name of Shop: On The Far Side Of The Island

For a bit of a driving adventure, rent a vehicle on St. John & drive to the far side of the island, to the village of Coral Bay - just remember, driving on these islands is not for the faint of heart! See Transportation Tips if you doubt me.
Once there, keep an eye out for the broken surfboard sign / bench that leads you to a cluster of shops & a restaurant at Skinny Leg's (see photo). Be warned, Toto - you aren't in the Edmonton Mall anymore. Get ready to kick back & get down Island style in Coral Bay's wonderfully funky inimitable way. But don't underestimate Skinny's! The food's good, & the shops are a lot of fun.

What To Buy: Of course Skinny's isn't the only establishment to explore in Coral Bay, so check out these links for more Coral Bay shopping

Coral Bay Dining & Shopping Map


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Theme: Local Craft
Directions: St. John interactive map
Website: http://www.stjohnusvi.com/

Name of Shop: The USVI Bargains are here!

If you want some great shopping bargains in the USVI’s, this is the place to go. Here’s why:
Although St. Croix is the largest of the three main US Virgin Islands, it has never cultivated the level of tourism that St. Thomas & St. John have managed to build up. This is partially because it has had other means of support for the locals through out much of the last 100 years. Also, St. Croix is slightly removed from the other islands, swinging off by itself to the south of STT & STJ. The ferry to St. Croix takes longer than the one to STJ, and doesn’t run as often.

But there is the added fact that St. Croix’s reputation hasn’t always been blemish-free. The late 1960’s & early 1970’s saw quite a rash of racial unrest & violence that hasn’t dissipated to this day.

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Name of Shop: The time to go there is now!

However, it is lean and hungry right now, and tourists are much more welcome than they have been in the past. The huge Hovensa Refinery (formerly Hess Refinery) has laid off large numbers of employees, due to its sporadic output. Hovensa refines Venezuelan oil, and Venezuela has been fighting its own political battles, disrupting& drastically reducing oil shipments. Recently the Venezuelan government has announced a rift in its relationship with the USA as well, so the future of this refinery is pretty dubious.

The main port of Christiansted was almost empty of tourists when I visited, even in January the heart of the winter tourist season. It’s so sad to think how many of the local businesses are barely hanging on. But everything was on sale, and the vendors were open to bargaining as well. There are some lovely jewelry shops, art galleries, clothing boutiques, and everything else you might wish to find, all here for you, and all just thrilled to have your business. So please DO consider visiting St. Croix & sharing a few of those tourist dollars they so badly need!

Below is the interactive map for St. Croix.

What To Buy: Cruzan Rum (you can also visit the distillery on St. Croix), Crucian Hook bracelets, Larimer jewelry, name brand duty free shopping for everything else you might want or need is all here


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Directions: Shops of Christiansted & Frederiksted

interactive map Christiansted
Website: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/sc/scmap.shtml