Stores, Malls or Markets in U. S. Virgin Islands

If you rent a villa or condo on St. Thomas or St. John, you will be in need of provisions at some point. The best supermarket I have come across so far is a few minutes outside of Red Hook on St. Thomas. As you are driving to Red Hook from Charlotte Amalie, you can't miss it. The prices are of course higher than in the States due to the extra cost of shipping everything in. However, this place has the best selection of groceries. This is a good place to stock up before you head over to St. John on a car barge.

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If shopping is your passion, go to Havensight Shopping Mall. Browse around and also take the time to admire the architecture. There are plenty of stores here.
This is also the place where all the cruise ships are docking, so it may get crowded if there are several ships there.

What to buy: Rum Balls are a must. Use your best judgement with the rest of the stuff.

You will see locals selling veggies and fruit on the road. They just have a small stand where they display fresh fruit and veggies. Stop by and buy some fruit. They do taste much better than the ones you buy from the stores back home.
This picture was taken one foggy morning, when we woke up early to explore the island. We got some tasty fruit and veggies from here :)

David Hill is St Thomas' favorite young artist. Just visit his gallery at the Royal Dane Mall area downtown and you'll see for yourself why his art is special.

What to buy: Any art piece that you fall in love with and can afford to purchase.

What to pay: $25.00 to ?????

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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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.

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

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