Bahams: Nassau Straw Market

On the way from the airport to the resort, our taxi driver pointed out the Straw Market. He said it as the place to go to find locally made crafts and souvenirs. So Tuesday after breakfast, we grabbed a cab (about $4 per person from Atlantis) and headed out to see what the local crafters had to offer.

The market is located right near where the cruise ships dock at the harbor. It is a long, low building with wares from floor to ceiling throughout. The smell of the ocean hangs in the air, mixed with the sweet scent of the straw bags hanging everywhere. 

Here are a few tips from our experience:

• When you find something you like, haggle. It's expected!
• It wasn't crowded with customers (at least at the time we went), but the stalls were cramped together, with very little walk way between them.
• I have read warnings of pick pocketing and can say that while that was not our experience, the conditions were certainly ripe for it.
• Everyone was selling the same manufactured junk. Stall after stall, hundreds of them, all had the same things.
• We found that most vendors did not take no for an answer. Smile politely and keep on walking.
• We had our hearts set on finding actual local craftsmanship, and struggled with getting our hands on much. There were ladies making bags and dolls out of straw, as the name suggests, but it appeared as though most of the booths were selling things made by a few people.

We didn't take any photos inside the Straw Market because it was chaotic, and we had our hands full trying to keep track of a 3-year-old as every single vendor on the island zoned in on her as a target customer. The gentleman carving masks and other designs in one of the open air stalls on the outer edges of the market posed for a photo with the girls as he wrapped our package, though!

According to the history page on the Straw Market's website, the straw vending industry in the Bahamas was born in the mid-1940s after the local sponge industry saw a decline. Women began braiding and decorating the dried leaves of the palm tree and sisal plants as a new source of income. The Bahamas became a vacation destination following World War II, and the souvenirs grew in popularity, Today's products include baskets, handbags, and dolls. (Alongside lots of screen-printed t-shirts, mugs, magnets, and the like.)

If you are looking for more shopping, a few blocks away are the high-end duty free shops, and the ladies offering knock off bags on the street corner.

Nassau Vacations