Nevis has plenty of handmade articles that tempt the prospective shopper. The most popular items must be the locally made fiery hot sauce, the handmade clay pottery items, and the sweet honey of Nevis. Nevis has hit upon an imaginative way to preserve traditional production methods, keeping them economically viable through craft co-operatives where local craftsmen group together and make traditional articles, trying to keep alive a sense of culture at the same time.

Take home a unique reminder of your holiday!

Burn off that tasty meal you had at one of the Nevis Restaurants with a spot of shopping. This Nevis Shopping Guide will help you decide what souvenir you'd like to take home from Nevis, and where best to buy it from.

Nevis Shopping Guide 

Arts, crafts and clothing

There are numerous small boutiques and shops dotting the island selling all the island attire you will need - swimwear, tropical clothing, and colourful men's shirts.

Supermarkets and superettes

For tourists planning an extended or self-catered kind of vacation, there are large supermarkets in Charlestown and many small "mom and pop" stores spread all over the island. There is even a public market close to the waterfront, abundantly displaying tropical fruits like fresh papayas, ripe tomatoes, mangoes and even pumpkins.

Drug stores/pharmacies

There is no dearth of pharmaceuticals or toiletries in the island; in fact there are also various herbal remedies from tropical plants available here. Medicines and prescription drugs are widely available, though of course you are advised to travel with sufficient stock of medicines you would need.

Gallery hopping

Gillian Smith of Café des Arts Gallery/café personally leads this half-day trip to the many small galleries of Nevis. You can see the artists and craftsmen busy at work as you tour the charming galleries. The tour ends with a sumptuous lunch in the Charlestown café, where you can also spend time browsing over the artwork of famous Caribbean artists like Kate Spencer and Rosie Cameron.

Working together

Local co-operatives are quite active here, and their main purpose is to bring together groups of people who work to preserve old local traditions. These co-operatives have revived many local crafts. One of these co-operatives is the Nevis Pottery near Newcastle where potters create bright red clay pots and many other articles.

Another is the Nevis Craft Cooperative, where the craftsmen are involved in weaving rugs, making fanciful wooden mobiles and many other wood and ceramic items. This "factory" and store is right on the main road north of Charlestown. There is another interesting shop in Cotton Ginnery.

Markets

The colourful City Market near the ferry dock, conveniently located in the centre of Charlestown, is a great place to buy all foodstuffs Caribbean. There is a variety of produce apart from homemade hot sauces and fresh spices. Avocados (locally known as pears), breadfruit, christophene, plantain, pumpkins, tannia and yams are all available during season. Open daily except on Sundays, the market sees its busiest days on Fridays and Saturdays.