Shopping in Belize
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Back to My Roots
Offers cool handmade jewelry, including silver, amber and other semiprecious stones. The name of the place refers to the drums and other Rasta gear for sale.
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Belize Tourist Village
This waterfront complex exists for the convenience of cruise-ship passengers, who disembark here on their land trips. Non-cruise tourists may enter from the street with a temporary pass, obtainable on presentation of an identity document such as a passport. Most of the stores are gift shops, liquor stores, jewelers or pharmacies offering Viagra without prescription. Some items are cheaper than elsewhere in the city; others are more expensive. You’ll know when it’s open from the crowds of hawkers, hustlers and tour agents thronging the street outside.
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Elizabeth Bernadez
Granddaughter of Austin Rodriguez, Elizabeth sells handmade crafts from her home (next door to the Bonefish Hotel), including beautiful dolls dressed in traditional Garifuna outfits, and acrylic paintings featuring various cultural scenes of traditional Garifuna life. Elizabeth also makes jewelry from jadeite, tiger eye and other local materials. A native of Dangriga (‘born here, grown here’), Elizabeth has been doing artwork locally for over 15 years, and is happy to introduce visitors to Garifuna life and culture through the art of its people.
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Garinagu Crafts
With the mission statement of ‘keeping the black diaspora alive,’ Dangriga native Francis M Swaso’s shop is part crafts store, part museum. The shop sells a wide range of arts and handicrafts made by Garifuna artists, including drums, maracas, paintings and dolls, and displays a number of historical Garifuna artifacts as well. Garinagu Crafts also carries postcards made from prints by local artist Pen Cayetano.
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Austin Rodriguez
This master artisan carves Garifuna drums from mahogany, cedar and the mayflower tree in his thatched-roof workshop by the water’s edge, southeast of Dangriga Central Market. Though Austin’s drums are sold all over Belize, you can cut out the middleman by going straight to the maker himself. Mr Rodriguez will be happy to answer any questions you might have on the drum-making process.
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D
Dangriga Central Market
An old-school semi-enclosed market. You’ll find traders selling shoes, clothing and crockery on the outskirts, while farmers and fishers sell their wares inside and around the main building. Naturally the market is busiest in the morning. You can also get cheap breakfasts here.
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Belize Gifts
This place has an excellent selection of high quality souvenirs, including beautiful salad bowls, jewelry boxes and other wooden items. There is also a small selection of books and guidebooks about Belize, including the useful Guide to the Maya Sites of Belize by Jaime Awe.
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E
Caribbean Colors
This shop stocks a collection of silk-screened fabrics, jewelry and paintings by the owner Lee Vanderwalker and the artist Nelson Young. You’ll also find a small selection of homemade soaps and body oils made from natural products, as well as a friendly coffee counter.
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New Hope Woodworking
South of the center, this carpentry workshop is a worthwhile stop if you are in the market for wooden furniture, cabinetry or smaller items made from mahogany or native woods. Be prepared to check it with your luggage, because it is prohibitively expensive to ship.
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Coco Plum Giftshop
Sometimes a spa and sometimes a restaurant, the Coco Plum is also – sometimes – a gift shop. There is an eclectic assortment of tropical-themed paintings, unique jewelry, carved wood pieces and reference books on natural healing.
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G
National Handicraft Center
This store carries the best stock of Belizean crafts, at fair prices. Attractive buys include carvings in the strikingly streaked hardwood zericote, slate relief carvings of wildlife and Maya deities, and CDs of Belizean music.
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Cooper’s Art Gallery
Debbie Cooper’s primitive painting style is a huge hit with tourists, who appreciate her colorful depictions of island life. The whimsical frames are designed and painted by her husband.
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Augusto Quan Ltd
An excellent hardware store stocking tools, camping gear, sports gear and even the kitchen sink (really…they sell plumbing supplies). A good place to hit before heading into the bush.
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Arts & Crafts of Central America
This little shop sells a wide variety of handmade jewelry, handbags and textiles, mostly from Guatemala. This is also the place to book your tours with Easy Rider.
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Brodie’s
Brodie’s is the biggest department store in the country. Some of the ‘departments’ are pretty small, but it’s still a good place to look for many things.
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Book Center
New and secondhand English literature, maps, guidebooks and books on Belizean history, society and natural history.
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