Shopping in MArtinique
Whether visitors want international- especially French- luxury goods or made-in-Martinique crafts, fashions, and other items, this island is a shopper ' s paradise. The expedition usually starts at Le Grand Marché Couvert, or Covered Market, in Fort-de-France, where vendors display flowers, fruits( including more than a dozen distinct varieties of bananas), vegetables, fragrant spices( a must-buy is colombo, the Martinican curry powder), hand-carved bowls, Creole dolls, and traditional straw hats. Other good stops for local treasures on Rue Ernest Deproge, where artists and vendors display paintings, coral jewelry, wooden sculptures, pottery, straw items, and clothing made of Madras fabric. Quite a few stores sell the fabric itself, usually for about $ 20 per yard.
Not far from the Covered Market, Rue Victor Hugo is lined with luxury emporiums like Roger Albert, which carries items with modest names like Baccarat, Lalique, Cartier, and Lancôme. Other streets where shops display haute couture and resort wear are concentrated on Rue Moreau de Jones, Rue Antoine Siger and Rue Lamartine.
For jewelry two of the most interesting shops are Thomas de Rogatis and Albert Venutolo, where visitors can find bijoux creole jewelry: gold pieces like beaded collier chou, or“ darling’ s necklaces," popularized after the abolition of slavery. On Rue Schoelcher, a branch of Galeries Lafayette is more or less the French version of Bloomingdale ' s. Fort-de-France also has a mall, La Cour Perrinon, where stores sell both luxury goods and more practical items such as groceries, books, and electronic gear. A second mall, La Galleria, lies just north of downtown and features more than 140 shops, making it the largest mall in the region. There ' s free WiFi, too.
Some of Martinique ' s best resort shopping can be found at Le Village Creole, across the Bay of Fort-de-France, in the seaside village of Trois-Ilets. This outdoor shopping resembles a traditional Martinican Creole village, but many of the wares are actually fine clothing and jewelry. Le Village Creole is also dotted with bars and cafes that stay open well into the night.
Another shopping mecca in Trois-Ilets is the Village de la Poterie, home to vendors selling local handicrafts, artworks, chocolates, and cosmetics. Visitors can also see pottery being made in a workshop where water jugs, pots, vases and dishes are created using methods employed by the island’ s original Amerindian inhabitants.
The centuries-old tradition that is most popular today, of course, is rhum. As mentioned in the Route des Rhums section, Martinique ' s rums, whether white and light or amber and aromatic, are available at the distilleries, but it ' s also available at shops like La Case à Rhum on Fort-de-France ' s Rue de la Liberté and in supermarkets.
Most stores are open 8:30 a. m. to 6 p. m. Mondays through Fridays, and on Saturday mornings.
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