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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 emporium carries everything from electronics to housewares in its members-only warehouse-size store. The meat, poultry, and seafood departments are especially popular. A small café in front sells pizzas, hot dogs, and the cheapest bottled water on the island—just $1 a pop.
This Caribbean chain carries stateside brands of most products—but at higher prices because of shipping costs to the islands.
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.
Find a wide selection of cameras, camcorders, stereos, watches, and clocks at this store. There are also branches at the Crown Bay Center.
This retailer specializes in all that glitters, from Swarovski and Waterford crystal to figurines by Hummel, Daum, and Royal Copenhagen, and china by Belleek, Kosta Boda, and several Limoges factories. There's also a large selection of Lladró figurines.
This duty-free outlet carries a full line of discounted brand-name cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco accessories.
Fine gems and exquisite timepieces are the draw at this second-generation family-owned boutique. You'll find loose diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and tanzanite as well as name-brand watches such as Ulysse Nardin, Harry Winston, Franck Muller, Bovet, Jaquet Droz, Bell & Ross, U-Boat, and Graham.
This boutique sells sophisticated clothing for women. You'll find just the right party or evening-wear look in dresses, tops, and bottoms made out of everything from sequins to shimmering and satiny fabrics. Check out the perpetual sale rack in the back for the best deals.
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