My Shopping Trip To Craft Cottage

I am a creative and I support creatives, which is one of the reasons why I support local artisans. For the past five years at least, I have been patronising a wonderful, colourful spot in Nassau called Bahamas Craft Cottage.

The island boutique is a creative hotspot that’s filled to the brim with wonderful treasures from unique signs to wall art to jewellery and even clothes made from Androsia fabric.

Over the years, I’ve spent entirely way too much money in the store. My house is filled with signs that hang above my doors, my office space and bedroom.

Every time someone visits my house they are blown away by the wall art or the drinking glasses with fun Bahamian sayings on them. It’s always fun to look around and most importantly, there’s always amazing pops of colour.

It’s hard not to love the Bahamas Craft Cottage. Located on Village Road on the grounds of the iconic Doongalik Studios. It’s nestled behind beautiful lush trees that make you feel like you’re walking into a beautiful serene garden.

A Great Atmosphere

What I love about this place is that it’s a casual, creative environment where the workers don’t haggle the customers. I actually started going here because I got incredibly frustrated with the Straw Market. The Straw Market rarely features handmade, unique items. Plus, the straw vendors have a tendency to harass the customers, so I keep my distance.

That doesn’t happen here. At least, that’s never been my experience.

The prices are non-negotiable, which I love. I’ll tell you why. People seldom respect creatives and they time that they pour into their artwork. So, they think it’s acceptable to ask them to discount their prices. No one asks a doctor or lawyer to come down on their prices. But, when you work with your hands, people think it’s ok.

Craft Cottage has a sign posted near the register that clearly outlines its No Haggle policy. I respect them so much for that.

I recently took my niece with me shopping and we bought a few items, including a lovely straw bag that resembles a woman’s face. How cute is that?