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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