Shopping in the Grenadines: Atelier Turquoise

You wouldn’t think there’d be much to buy on a three-square-mile island but trust me, Jetsetters, if there’s a shopportunity, you can rely on me to sniff it out. Which is what I did last year on the tiny Grenadines outpost of Union Island, where my retail radar led me to Atelier Turquoise.  

The waterfront store is a tiny treasure trove of Caribbean art, craft and semi-precious jewelry made by tres charmant French owner and artist Annie-France DuLac. When I visited her shop was packed to the rafters with vibrant Haitian acrylics; “paintings” made from banana leaves; T-shirts; locally made Christmas ornaments; and a great selection of boho-chic jewelry from Fidel Productions, a Carriacou-based brand.

Truthfully, I hadn’t intended to buy anything that day, but somehow I left with a lovely silver-and-larimar charm for my travel bracelet (read about it here), handmade by Annie-France. Sadly I lost it a couple of months later. But hey, it only means that I have a reason to go back, right?

See what else caught my eye at Atelier Turquoise in this quick video. And then tell me what other hidden shopping gems you’ve found.