Why should you consider shopping in the Turks and Caicos Islands? Tax free.
During your next vacation to this enchanting archipelago in the Caribbean, you can do some guilt-free shopping and support the local economy without paying sales and luxury taxes! Many places even advertise their duty-free prices to American and Canadian visitors. The Grace Bay side of Providenciales has numerous boutiques at Caicos Café Plaza, La Petite Place, Regent Village, and The Saltmills. The main shopping centers on the island are Ports of Call, Market Place and Central Square.
If your stay in Turks and Caicos is longer than two days and you are a US citizen, you can return home with up to $800 worth of purchases per person duty free. If you stay less than 48 hours, you can return with $200 in tax-free purchases per traveler.
The rules for Canadians differ slightly. After a seven-day vacation, they can return with tax-free purchases of up to $750 per person and $400 per person after a two-day excursion. But be sure to check with customs to confirm because these numbers can change at any time.
Do you want to find unique island art? Local craft? Caribbean fashion? Here are suggestions for your next shopping excursion to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Most of the shops offer island and nature themed crafts. Shoppers can find original art at The Bamboo Art Gallery, located in Caicos Café Plaza and open five days a week. For home decor or fashion items, check out Shell Shack in Grand Turks. Greensleeves in Central Square sells unique local homemade crafts and offers a framing service for Turks and Caicos art and prints.
Daphne’s Native Gift Shop in South Caicos, Bottle Creek in North Caicos, and Middle Caicos Cooperative in—you guessed it—Middle Caicos all showcase handmade crafts like jewelry, bags, hats, and paintings. Royal Jewels offers a wide selection of perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, watches, leather goods, and crystal.
If you find yourself in Caicos Café Plaza, you must visit Codaacos Boutique for European resort wear. Nearby, Maison Creole sells Haitian handicrafts, paintings, and antique furniture, along with other Caribbean crafts and South African baskets.
All visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands will need food, drinks, and toiletries. Listed below are some places to find these vital items. Graceway IGA in Providenciales is the premier supermarket for all your food, beverage and necessities.
Other grocery stores include Cox Lewis and Seaview Dry Goods Store on Stubbs Road, Island Pride Supermarket in downtown Providenciales, Quality Supermarket on Leeward Highway, and Sarah’s Shopping Center on Frith Street Back Salina.
For local books, newspapers and travel guides, try the Unicorn Bookstore in the downtown Market Place. This great little shop has a good selection of local history books, guide books and maps, plus newspapers, magazines and children’s books.
What’s a vacation without a little alcohol and tobacco? If you want to buy a good wine or liquor, visit Discount on Liquors and Bodega where you can also find beer, soft drinks and juices. Shalimar specializes in Cuban, Dominican, Jamaican cigars, and Lucayan rum, but you might also be interested in locally handcrafted dolls, T-shirts, and other souvenirs.
In short, there are plenty of shops in Turks and Caicos to keep you busy.