Florida Keys Shopping

The Florida Keys are known throughout the world as one of the best vacation spots in the United States. Talk to any scuba diver, any place around the globe, and he or she will tell you the Keys are one of the best places to go for diving. Talk to any sport fisherman, and chances are you’ll hear lots about the Keys in general, or perhaps Islamorada and Key West in particular.

The Keys offer so much as a tropical getaway, what with the ocean, the reef, the resorts, and the history. Why on earth would anyone want to go shopping when there’s so much else to do? The answer is, shopping in the Florida Keys is great!

There are some large tourist shops along the main route through the Keys that look tacky as ever, but a quick look around inside some of the biggest stores will reveal beautiful, unique and lovely items you can’t find anywhere else. That’s right, even the so-called tacky tourist shops along Highway 1, otherwise known as the Overseas Highway, have lovely items and these stores are worth the stop. Want names? Well, try The Shell Man has a few branches in the Upper Keys that you just can’t miss because his signs are large, and so is his store. Nice stuff! And check out Shell World, which also has large size and upscale as well as budget items.

Really, the tackiest shopping in the Florida Keys is found along Duval Street. Duval Street is aimed at shoppers, and along with the good, of course there is the bad. Here’s where you can find T-shirt stores that glorify the art form with some of the raciest and silliest slogans on earth. Lots of fun, but tacky as anything!

Key West has some local stores that have become nationally known, such as Key West Aloe. Key West Aloe sells premium quality bath & body products with aloe and other natural ingredients in them. You’ll find delicacies that sound good enough to eat here, such as Green Tea and Almond Body Lotion. Just across the street from Key West Aloe you’ll find another local specialty, Key West Fabrics. This store is loads of fun for those shopping for resort-inspired clothing and fabrics. The colors are cheerful and bright and the styles are updated and fashionable. There’s a huge section of sale racks in the back of the store, so don’t miss that area for bargains.

Both stores (Key West Aloe and Key West Fabrics) are located close to the Duval Street shopping area but off the main drag of Duval Street where the crowds (if there are any at the time you are shopping) seem to thin out a bit. This is good to keep in mind in Key West while shopping: a quick walk off the beaten track down a side street is often the best way to discover some of the most charming shops in Key West. Keep your eyes peeled and you are sure to find some real shopping gems out there.