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Great Buys on St. Thomas
It's easy to see why St. Thomas is nicknamed the Shopping Capital of the Caribbean. You'll find the highest concentration of stores lining Main Street. The alleyways, built in the 18th century as passageways for exotic spices and molasses being off-loaded from ships in the harbor, today boast a maze of shops that brim with jewels, designer fashions, perfumes and the latest electronics. If you're just looking for a T-shirt to take back home, check out Vendors Plaza, located across from the fire station.
You'll find plenty of shopping prospects as you travel around the island. Yacht Haven Grande is a short walk from either town or the Havensight Cruise Ship Dock and offers many upscale stores. Havensight Mall features over 50 duty-free shops set among flower-studded walkways. Adjacent and across from Havensight are the Port of Sale Mall and Al Cohen's Mall. Both offer a smaller variety of shops, although there are some real deals on liquor and tobacco. The Crown Bay Center, west of downtown Charlotte Amalie, boasts specialty stores with souvenirs and handicrafts and is only open when ships are in port.
Locals head to Tutu Park Mall; Kmart and Plaza Extra Supermarket anchor this air-conditioned enclosed mall. There are more than 50 stores, including national chains such as Foot Locker, Marianne, Claire's, Payless Shoes and Champs Sports. A food court, banks and a post office make this a one-stop shop for many folks. Natives flock to The Fruit Bowl in the Wheatley Shopping Center for enticing produce. In Red Hook, American Yacht Harbor and the Red Hook Shopping Plaza are the places to find beachwear, fishing tackle, pet accessories, tropical fashions and jewelry. There's also a supermarket, pharmacy and bank with an ATM.
Yacht Haven Grande
On the Waterfront, between Havensight and Downtown Charlotte Amalie
340-774-9500 • www.yachthavengrande.com
Located alongside the scenic Charlotte Amalie Harbor, Yacht Haven Grande encompasses a 47-slip mega-yacht marina, complemented by an array of exciting retail destinations, exquisite dining and entertainment options, recreational amenities and luxurious seaside residences. Voted "Best Shopping" by the Virgin Islands Daily News readers' poll, Yacht Haven Grande boasts some of the most upscale and prestigious shops around, as well as, many island favorites. Come enjoy the premier shopping and dining destination on St. Thomas!
Pueblo Supermarket
St. Thomas and St. Croix
340-774-4200 (STT) / 340-778-0854 (STX)
Much more than a grocery store! The islands best prices on liquor and wine with six-bottle liquor quota carry on travel boxes. Fresh produce, meat and fish, snacks, beach supplies, magazines, postcards, cigarettes and so much more. Make Pueblo your first stop for all your vacation supplies. Two convenient locations on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. Number one in freshness, variety and savings… Pueblo is #1 for you!
Great Buys on St. John
It's easy to shop till you drop on St. John. So, get your credit cards ready, your walking shoes on and your energy in tow.
Cruz Bay is the island's major shopping area, but savvy shoppers find small shopping centers and stores all the way to the eastern end of the island at Coral Bay.
Cruz Bay's stores stretch from Mongoose Junction Shopping Center in the north just as you reach the North Shore Road to Gallows Point on the southwest point of Cruz Bay Harbor — with lots of small stores carrying eclectic merchandise in between. It can be tough to find a place to park in Cruz Bay. For a more relaxing shopping experience, take a taxi from your hotel.
With stone walls and lush landscaping, the open-air Mongoose Junction is the largest of Cruz Bay's shopping centers. It has stores on several levels with short flights of stairs in between. You can shop for everything from T-shirts to inexpensive jewelry to objets d'art and much, much more. And when you're really ready to drop, Mongoose Junction is home to several restaurants in various price ranges.
As you stroll through Cruz Bay, you'll find shops along Veste Gade, the block that runs from near the post office to First Bank. Another handful sits adjacent to Cruz Bay Park, the busy square located near the ferry dock.
The flower-bedecked Wharfside Village is right along the beach as you come off the ferry and has numerous stores tucked away in its walkways and along the street in front of the shopping center.
Turn the corner to the right as you pass Wharfside Village for a few more shops. It's a pleasant stroll along the beach road to reach Gallows Point Resort, where you'll find a small gift shop.
Lemon Tree Mall on King Street, home of the venerable Lime Inn Restaurant, has a handful of shops, with most open late so restaurant guests can shop while they wait for a table.
The Marketplace Shopping Center sits farther afield in Cruz Bay on Route 108. Stretching over three levels, it's home to the island's largest supermarket, Starfish, and St. John's only hardware store, drugstore and bookshop. Tucked among such pedestrian offerings as a bank, the telephone company and an Internet service store, shoppers will find a few gift shops that appeal to visitors. An elevator and stairs connect the floors. Parking is usually tight at the lower level parking lot, but you can usually find plenty of space on the upper level. Just drive straight uphill when you turn into the shopping center.
The Bordeaux Overlook on Route 10 is home to more than just a killer view. Shoppers will find a few stores carrying jewelry as well as a variety of other items. Be careful when crossing to the gift shop located across the street from the overlook. It's a blind corner for drivers coming from the west, and they can't see you until they make the turn. A small restaurant serves lunch at this stunning spot, making it a good place to stop on your round-the-island driving tour.
Shopping in the Coral Bay area stretches out from Skinny Legs Restaurant and Bar on Route 10 to Shipwreck Landing Restaurant on Route 107, with a concentration of stores at Cocoloba Shopping Center in between. As in Cruz Bay, the stores offer everything from made-in-St. John items to inexpensive souvenirs. Shoppers will find restaurants all along the route.
And don't forget about the gift shops at the Westin Resort and Villas and Caneel Bay Resort. Along with stores across the island, they carry plenty of merchandise that will remind you of your island adventure.
Great Buys on St. Croix
St. Croix is the Caribbean's best-kept secret for shoppers tired of seeing the same old chain store brands everywhere. One-of-a-kind boutiques offer island-made treasures you won't find elsewhere along with local rum, hot sauce andother tasty goodies.
In jewelry stores, look for the St. Croix symbols worn by many residents: gold or silver bangle bracelets handmade on the island, each style with a distinctive clasp. Another local specialty is jewelry set with "chaney," the "china money" children once honed from pottery shards found in the dirt around plantations.
Along Company, King and Strand streets in Christiansted, and the cross streets that intersect, you'll find jewelry galore, nifty tropical garb and high-style home décor. In galleries, artist/proprietors can help you select originals, prints or photographs for your walls, as well as sculpture, glass and pottery for your tabletops.
Frederiksted has fewer stores, but you'll enjoy the lively atmosphere and extra shopping opportunities when cruise ships are in port. Be sure to check out Sunny Isle Shopping Center between the two towns and Gallows Bay, just east of Christiansted.
Along with local specialties, some island stores are stocked with imported luxuries — such as high-end watches, loose or mounted gemstones, crystal, porcelain, perfumes, liquor and cigars — often at 30 to 60 percent off U.S. prices.
To further sweeten the deal, you won't pay any sales tax here. There's no duty on original works of art. And U.S. citizens, even children, can take home $1,600 worth of purchases without paying duty when returning from the USVI. That's double the usual limit, and you can include up to five fifths of liquor duty-free plus an extra fifth if it's locally made. Some airlines do not charge baggage fees for boxes of local rum — check with your air carrier or ask tour guides at the rum distillery for details.
THE MEDICINE SHOPPE PHARMACY
Sunny Isle Shopping Center, Christiansted
& Frederiksted at the end of Queen Mary Highway
340-719-6100; 340-772-3400
Your Medicine Shoppe® pharmacy staff would like to personally welcome you! Unlike the national chain drug stores, the Medicine Shoppe pharmacy is unique, offering only pharmaceuticals and health-related items. This commitment allows them to spend their time focused on the health care needs of the customers and concentrate on providing them with quality products and services so that they are able to adopt a more active role in the care of their health. Most major insurance plans accepted
SCHOONER BAY MARKET PLACE
1 Mount Welcome, Christiansted
340-773-3232 • www.schoonerbaymarket.com
Schooner Bay Market Place is St. Croix's Family Gourmet Market. Located at 1 Mount Welcome just east of Christiansted. The market is within walking distance to Christiansted. Open 365 days a year, Schooner Bay offers a full service bakery and coffee bar, deli, meat, seafood, produce, and a large selection of groceries. Locals visit Schooner Bay daily for the prepared hot foods and huge salad bar. Contact Schooner Bay Market Place for caterings, provisioning and delivery.
UNDERCOVER BOOKS & GIFTS
Gallows Bay • 340-719-1567
If you are looking for an independent bookstore in St. Croix, Undercover Books & Gifts in Gallows Bay is it. With a sweet little coffee shop next door, it has everything you need in a bookstore. You will find the latest in fiction, and nonfiction as well as a fantastic children's section. Don't be surprised if you run into one or two local writers while you're there; they have a great local interest selection.
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If you appreciate luxury and quality, stop by the store at Yacht Haven Grande to see the latest designer collection of fine timepieces and spectacular jewelry like the amazing Harry Winston dual time zone watch -- a work of art.
