Nassau, Bahamas – The Straw Market

I’m not much of a shopper. I like to buy things when I can afford them (and sometime when I can’t), but I don’t get the whole window shopping thing.

Still, when I travel, I like to pick up a little reminder of far away places for my home. Sometimes, I end up searching high and low to find local arts and crafts.

Fortunately, in Nassau it’s easy to find these at the Straw Market. Under a tent in the the center of town, you’ll find venders selling an assortment of goods from kitschy souvenir items to designer knock-off purses.

Some of the most interesting items were the the straw crafts. I picked up a table mat with needle point inserts, as well as a couple of small bags for gifts.

I didn’t see anyone weaving the straw items, but there were several women sewing on decorations who also offered to add a free monogram.

Later, I wondered how much of the straw crafts were actually created in the Bahamas.

There were also several stands offering wood carvings. However, some of these I recognized right away as imports from Haiti, with their distinctive wood carving style.

It’s difficult to tell what was made locally. Then, again, it doesn’t always matter.

I ended up purchasing a wooden mortar and pestle and tribal mask that I knew were from Haiti, as I’m not likely to get any closer to Haiti any time soon.

Well, there was at least one wood carving vendor who left no doubt. You can see the chips flying as he sculpts a massive fish, perhaps the one that got away.