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St. Thomas lives up to its billing as a duty-free shopping destination. Even if shopping isn't your idea of how to spend a vacation, you still may want to slip in on a quiet day (check the cruise-ship listings—Monday and Sunday are usually the least crowded) to browse. Among the best buys are liquor, linens, china, crystal (most stores will ship), and jewelry. The amount of jewelry available makes this one of the few items for which comparison shopping is worth the effort. Local crafts include shell jewelry, carved calabash bowls, straw brooms, woven baskets, and dolls. Creations by local doll maker Sally George—like her school-uniformed West Indian children and Mocko Jumbie dolls—have been little goodwill ambassadors, bought by visitors around the world. Spice mixes, hot sauces, and tropical jams and jellies are other native products.
On St. Thomas, stores on Main Street in Charlotte Amalie are open weekdays and Saturday 9 to 5. The hours of the shops in the Havensight Mall (next to the cruise-ship dock) and the Crown Bay Commercial Center (next to the Crown Bay cruise-ship dock) are the same, though occasionally some stay open until 9 on Friday, depending on how many cruise ships are anchored nearby. You may also find some shops open on Sunday if cruise ships are in port. Hotel shops are usually open evenings as well.
There's no sales tax in the USVI, and you can take advantage of the $1,600 duty-free allowance per family member (remember to save your receipts). Although you can find the occasional salesclerk who will make a deal, bartering isn't the norm.
This giant duty-free liquor outlet carries a large selection of tobacco (including imported cigars), as well as cordials, wines, and rare vintage Armagnacs, cognacs, ports, and Madeiras. It also stocks fruits in brandy and barware from England. Enjoy rum samples at the tasting bar.
This pop-up shop is open from Thanksgiving until early January each year and is located in a historic building across from Fort Christian. Inside, you'll find a treasure trove for bona fide made-in-the-Virgin Islands arts, crafts, and local food products that make the perfect gifts. There are soaps, hot sauces, hand-tied palm brooms, native dolls, books by local authors, T-shirts, jewelry, and much more. Signs next to displays tell you about the respective artists.
This gallery sells and displays works by popular local artists—originals, prints, and note cards. There's a one-person or multiple-person show at least one weekend a month.
This gourmet market near the ferry to St. John has the best deli cheeses, prepared-to-order subs, and selection of organic foods, coffees, and wines on the island. Two other locations are at Yacht Haven Grande near the cruise ship dock in Havensight and at the corner of Waterfront Drive and Espanole Strade in Charlotte Amalie.
This store has prices to please, and the friendly staff here will help you choose from the floor-to-ceiling selection of linens, which include Tuscan lace tablecloths and Irish linen pillowcases.
A.H. Riise is the official Rolex retailer of the Virgin Islands, and this shop offers one of the largest new and pre-owned selections these fine timepieces in the Caribbean. An After Sales Service Center helps you keep your Rolex ticking for a lifetime.
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