As Saint Lucia prepares to celebrate Independence, local craft businesses at the Blue Coral Mall are using the occasion not only to display their creativity but also to reflect on their journeys and keep tradition alive.
For Terril Nicholas, owner of Illuminating Designs, crafting was never part of a grand business plan. “It started off as a hobby, and no matter what job I had, I always did craft as a part-time job. In 2008, after walking away from my last job, I took it on as a full-time venture till now,” she explained.
Turning passion into profession, however, was not without hurdles. Nicholas identified import duties and access to materials as persistent obstacles. “Starting off the business, my main challenge was import duties,” she said, adding that “the greatest challenge I have is getting my raw materials into the island and location; everywhere is expensive rent-wise, so we wait for opportunities like these by selling in the mall during independence season.”
Despite these constraints, Independence remains a meaningful period for her enterprise. “Independence gives me the opportunity to showcase and sell my products and show the flag colours,” she noted.
Nicholas prides herself on originality. “What makes my art unique from others is that I create self-inspired pieces. I don’t go on the Internet; I create it from my head.”
Her signature items are copper pieces, valued not only for aesthetics but for what she describes as their benefits. “Copper helps with blood circulation, it relieves arthritic pain, helps the body absorb the minerals of your food, it gives a general feeling of well-being, and it balances you.”
Nicholas hopes for greater stability and reach, and to have a storefront so shoppers do not have to wait. While she already has a presence abroad, “Export St Lucia has a store in London where I sell my products.”
“I would like to be able to export further,” she added.
Echoing similar sentiments about innovation and uniqueness was the owner of Em’s Creations, who highlighted a distinctive feature of her craft. “I use can caps to do some of my products, which is unique about my business,” she said, pointing to the creative reuse of materials as part of her brand identity.
Business owner Francis Beverly Pierre of Goshen Pierre Plus touched on her unique puzzle creation.
“The latest thing has been a jigsaw puzzle of the two Nobel laureates of Saint Lucia (Sir Arthur Lewis – economics, and Sir Derek Walcott – literature). This is a collector’s item… is something that we want to keep. Make it, keep it, have fun with it.”
She noted that a lot of foreigners purchased the puzzle and took it back home with them as something to commemorate.”
For her business, Independence means showcasing the things that can be done in Saint Lucia, adding that every year she comes up with different styles, and people are expressing that they did not even know “this quality of work is done in Saint Lucia”.
Pierre also sells Independence-themed items, such as earrings, bracelets and neckpieces.
Crochet artistry also features prominently among vendors. Samantha Suzy Rosanna Alexander, owner of Suzy Dezigns, traced her passion back to childhood. “I learnt from my mom as a hobby at eight years old,” she said, recalling how her mother “knitted our baby clothes, chair backs and more”.
Her entrepreneurial journey began years later in 2016, after taking a floral arrangement class. “I made roses to add to the products we had to create. People liked the concept of the roses and started ordering earrings and brooches, and that is how the business started.”
Alexander further expressed that Independence carries symbolic weight and is a time to “showcase that we can use crochet to express ourselves… not only through normal wear but can crochet accessories to express ourselves throughout Independence.”
Alexander uses wool and nylon thread and incorporates traditional concepts in her creations, such as the “granny square” technique.
Through Suzy Dezigns, she aims to foster individuality while renewing appreciation for handmade craft. Her broader vision includes providing a welcoming space for distinctive, handcrafted pieces that celebrate personal style and local artistry.
She, too, faces a familiar challenge: not having a physical space to showcase her products remains an issue.
The roots of her craft stretch back generations. Her mother, Constance A. Alexander, shared, “I started crocheting from primary school in the mid-1960s.” As an adult, she balanced work with crochet as a side occupation, creating “baby vests, centre pieces, socks for children, all her girls’ dresses and gloves for first communion.”
Another seasoned artisan, Marina Monroque-Lafeuillee, owner of Belle Lici Designs and Joy-Tae skin care, also began crafting at a young age. “I started crocheting when I was about eight years old. I saw a child crocheting and I asked my grandparents to buy me the materials to start.”
Her resourcefulness was evident even then. “I used to use the bone of the leaf in the coconut branch. I would clean it up, cut it to the length that I want, sharpen the ends and use the flower sack bag thread to knit.”
Her talents expanded to sewing early on, when her grandfather gave her one of the first “zigzag sewing machines” to come out of the island when she was 9. She officially registered her business in 2016.
“I’m very patriotic. Anything pertaining to Saint Lucia, I get excited; I won’t leave my country to go anywhere else.” She emphasised originality, stating, “I try not to make what others have. I am an independent thinker. I like to put a twist on my products.”
With growing positive feedback, she now has her sights set beyond local shores. “I want to get a market outside of Saint Lucia because the reviews that I am getting (are) ‘very unique and different from what they are seeing around’.”
