Tour
of
Main Street Shops |
|
Main Street itself is a treat and
deserves a special tour. Crammed into the base of a hillside, the
original flat land before much of the harbour was filled, its historic character
is evident from the many older wood frame structures (predating modern
hurricane-resistant techniques), such as the Jewelry
Box above, often with traditional red tin roofs and Victorian trim.
The narrow confines of the street, together with the jumble of
cars, many pedestrians and West Indian style buildings, lends Main Street its charm. |
Getting
There
The traditional way to tour the Main Street shops is to start from down around the ferry.
From the ferry itself, walk across Waterfront Drive, across the Plaza and
turn right.
Snacks for the ferry
ride or otherwise are available at the Sunrise Bakery and Dorothy's Superette, just up Main Street. |
If you're driving, turn away
from the Harbour at Customs Rd., then turn right again--Main Street is a one-way street in
this direction. If you're walking from the cruise dock or Wickham's Cay,
simply proceed across Waterfront Drive through the Sunny Caribbee parking lot or other
side streets.
To the left is often grid-locked two-way
traffic and more shops toward Peebles Hospital.
The Plaza Area
Sir Olva Georges Plaza has Esme's Shop (494-3961), a
newsstand, the Post Office with a great collection of stamps (see Island Sun articles on stamps at
NewsLinks), the Registrar's Office (above the Post Office) for
weddings and J.R.O'Neal's Drug Store.
Facing Waterfront Drive above the Plaza are Pusser's
Pub (whose building extends through to Main Street via a lovely narrow walk-through
alley), the Sea Urchin and Capriccio di Mare.
Just up Main Street on the
left is Radical Designs, Mon Cheri, Samarkand
Jewelers, Caribbean Handprints, the Virgin
Island Folk Museum, Beacon Bible Book Store and Oh La La.
The
Roti Palace is now located above Samarkand Jewelers on an intimate
hillside porch.
On the right are Kaunda's Kysy Tropix,
Buccaneer's Bounty, Pusser's Company Store
and Pub (back entrance), Stitch N' Time, Jewelry Box, and Le Cabanon restaurant.
|
The
Corner |
A 90° corner (reverse
"L") is marked by the distinctive blue Latitude
18 shop, as Main Street curves around a ridge reaching down into the harbour. |
Around the Corner are more
stores including Green Things (garden shop) and Sunny Caribbee Herb & Spice Co.
and Sunny Caribbee Art Gallery.
|
Scenic
Route |
After turning the corner, take this
most narrow side street side back
up the ridge to a scenic route back to the hospital. |
|
At the next cross street on up Main Street
is the Midtown Restaurant right at the
head of Chalwell Street.
On up Main Street on the right is Mac's
Restaurant and Bakery, a local caterer with food items displayed and ready to grab on the
run.
The next cross street (Parker) has Little Denmark and Serendipity on the near and far
corners. Just before Little Denmark is a tiny expresso shop with inner
courtyard seating.
|
Humidor Room |
Exclusively for Cuban cigars, this room-size
humidor holds a great selection of the finest Cuban cigars at Little Denmark, perhaps the BVI's largest distributor. |
|
Toward Waterfront Drive is Mr. Fritz's Oriental
Restaurant. Still further up on the left is the vacant Her Majesty's
Prison, a low white concrete building with red doors.
Top
of Main Street
The last major cross street, leading to the "round-a-bout" on the right, is Fleming
Street, the location of a full service Riteway Market, Tico Imports wine & spirits retail store,
and the Virgin Queen restaurant as well as a
spectacular flamboyant tree.
Further still
is Joe's Hill Road on the left, the route up to Ridge Road and Cane Garden Bay, marked by a white wall where
people wait for the bus or to be given a ride. See more specific directions here.
Yet Further past the high school playing fields on the
left is J.R.O'Neal Botanic Garden.
Head back toward the water, bearing right on
Waterfront Drive to continue this tour of the harbour's Road Reef area.
 |
 |
| An eclectic group, the Main
Street shops offer, in great variety, art by local and Caribbean artists,
island and resortwear, beach bags, Sunny Caribbee spices, fine wines,
U.S. newspapers, toys, nautical antiques, hand-crafted and international jewelry,
freshly baked goods, and much more. |
Art.
Sunny Caribbee Art
Gallery (on Main Street just past The Corner, email,
494-2178) has one of the largest collections
in the Caribbean of paintings, prints and watercolors by artists from all the
islands in the Caribbean. See the Caribbean paintings of Karl Merlklein.
Islands Treasures (opposite the hospital 495-4787) has a great
collection of Caribbean books and maps, model ships and local Caribbean art
from watercolors to sculpture.
Caribbean Fine Arts Limited (on the Top of Main Street 494-4240), run
by Silvia Forbes, has a tropical gallery and does framing and restoration work.
Clothing.
 Serendipity (on Main Street near its
Top, 494-5865), pictured here, has wonderful island sundresses as well as
glass, shirts and other local handicrafts. There is a "husband's
chair" for comfort while admiring the wares being modeled
by their spouses (see Jere's
Lull's story). Here you see the traditional Caribbean red tin roof as well.
Latitude 18
(on Main Street at The Corner 494-4807) has island and sportswear,
gifts and accessories.
Pusser's
Company Store (Waterfront Street
by the ferry 494-2467) offers clothing, marine paintings, Pusser's famous
rum and nautical gifts.
Dining.
Capriccio Di Mare. Near
Pusser's on Waterfront Street, Capriccio Di Mare (494-5369) is
an authentic Italian outdoor cafe, good for a cappuccino break
from shopping. Salads with plum tomatoes, provolone cheese with country Tuscan
bread (focaccie), delicious deserts, real Italian pizza and pasa, biscotti, and, of
course, proscuitto--you would think you are in Italy, except its house drink is the Mango
Bellini.
Midtown Restaurant (on Main Street at
the head of Chalwell Street), open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and run by Gloria, has
"local local" food, including "souse" pig feet stew, sandwiches, fish
soup, burgers, Johnny cake, boiled fish, conch fritters, salt fish, coconut ice cream,
oxtail and items cooked to order. Local drinks include peanut punch and mauby. Try the pea
soup (beans with pigtail).
Mr. Fritz's Oriental Restaurant (facing
Waterfront Drive at Chalwell Street) has varieties of Chinese food in an informal
patio setting. Tortola's only Chinese restaurant, you will see carry out food
from this restaurant in far locales!
Pusser's Pub. Down across from the ferry
on Waterfront Street, its distinctive building a local landmark is the popular Pusser's
Pub (494-3897) on the ground floor. The pizza is very popular!
Roti
Palace. Before The Corner on
Main Street's and above Samarkand Jewelers, the Roti
Palace (494-4196) features beef, chicken, conch, whelk, and goat rotis.
And the mango chutney condiment--yum! A consensus favorite, the Roti
Palace, features family style tables whose seats
are shared. Try one before you leave.
Le Cabanon. On Main Street before The Corner,
Le Cabanon (494-8660) offers classical French
bistro fare, such as Mediterranean fish soup,
goat
cheese salad, roasted squab or Snapper Meuniére.
The breezy patio setting is a great spot for desert, such as
crème brûlée or the coconut or "heavenly" chocolate mousse. And, the bar is good for late night fun!
| Virgin Queen.
Upstairs over TICO on Fleming Street near the roundabout near the Top of Main Street, Virgin
Queen (494-2310) has the excellent Queen's Pizza, West
Indian and English fare. Considered by many as having the best local food
with a large carry out business, the Virgin Queen has five daily specials,
including spare ribs, stewed mutton, "doved" pork, salt fish,
shepard's pie, and stewed (fried and cooked in a gravy) chicken. |
Gifts, Crafts & Misc.
Little Denmark (on Main Street near its Top,
494-2455) has fishing and snorkeling equipment, including spearfishing
guns sold only to licensed locals, a wide variety of gift items such as darts, baskets,
souvenir key chains, BVI flags, earrings, hats, mugs and jewelry. But it
is the Cuban cigars that have made Little Denmark famous as a distributor
and retailer, with its own room-sized humidor (see
picture) and a large selection including Cohiba, Montocristo, Hoyo de Monterrey,
Partagas, H. Upmann, and Romeo Y Julieta. Stop by and have a chat with its owner, Diana
Bruce, a native BVIslander whose father came to the BVI in 1936 and started a cigarette
factory on Peter Island. Mention the B-V-I Guide for special consideration.
Ooh La La! |
|
| Pictured in blue tucked into the hillsides, Ooh La La
(on Main Street past The Plaza, 494-2433) is cramped but popular and
always has the unexpected from games to potholders. Yes, that is a road going
up that cliff in the background (photo credit: Jere
Lull). |
Kaunda's Kysy Tropix
(on Main Street past The Plaza, 495-5636) has CDs and cassettes of Caribbean and local
music. See some selections here at Yacht
Harbour store on Virgin Gorda.
Jewelry.
Samarkand Jewelers (on Main Street past
The Plaza, 495-6415) specializes in Caribbean gemstones from Santa Domingo (such as black
coral), Tortola (such as jasper not normally in green) Dominica and other islands. A
family business established in 1971, Samarkand Jewelers makes all its own jewelry.
Real local shells are made into molds, the shell burnt out and the piece filled with gold
and silver. Pendants of private boats are made by special order.
Felix Gold and Silver Ltd. (Main Street
494-2406) designs and crafts fine jewelry at its on-site workshop for the individual
buyer.
Jewelry Box (on Main Street past The Plaza,
494-7278) carries gold and silver jewelry and crafts items out of local materials such as
the sandbox plant.
Sights.
Virgin Islands Folk Museum
(on Main Street just past The Plaza) has some Arawak
and Carib pottery and stone tools, including a decorated spindle, wreck of The Rhone and
H.M.S. Nymph artifacts, plantation items and reef conservation info. This small museum
sells some t-shirts, paintings, maps and gifts.
J.R.O'Neal Botanic Garden
(Main Street extension), rich in both horticulture and history, features specialty
gardens, including palms, orchids, and a miniature tropical rain forest as well as
tropical birds and the indigenous and rare red-legged tortoise. See Lose Yourself in the
Botanic Gardens.
Specialty Food & Drink.
Tico Imports retail store (on Fleming Street
near the roundabout near the Top of Main Street) has a large variety of fine wines
and spirits. Their wholesale
store is at Wickham's Cay II.
Fort Wine Gourmet has
gone out of business.
Dorothy's Superette (on
Main Street past The Plaza, 494-3757) has cold drinks, beers, bottled water and local
Callwood rum as well as basic groceries. Try a "ting,"
a Jamacian citrus soda.
Spices & Perfume.
Flamboyance (Main Street Area 494-4099) carries upscale cosmetics
and a large variety of perfumes, both women's and men's, including Cartier (So Pretty
and Declaration), Calvin Klein (Contradiction) and Christian Dior (Dolce
Vita).
The Caribbean Corner Spice Shop (Main Street 494-5564) carries a
variety of scented items like jams, hot sauces and soaps as well as herbs
and spices and even Cuban cigars.
 Sunny Caribbee Herb and
Spice Company (on Main Street just past The Corner, email,
494-2178), in a colorful West Indian style house and famous for its spices which
are used by the BVI's finest restaurants, sells herb vinegars, natural soaps, skin
lotions, including bug repellants and exotic love potions.Visit
Sunny Caribbee Spice Company at their online store.
|
