The Saint Lucian arts and craft expo at Carifesta XIV, in Trinidad and Tobago, has been making an impact.

Interest has been high for Lisa Barton-Volney of De Zipcode and De Close Line.

“The interest in our products has been great because our items are unique,” she said. “Nobody expected to see jewelry made out of zippers. The response from shoppers has been encouraging.”

For Terril Nicholas of Illuminating Designs, the strategy was to use national flags to appeal to a diverse Caribbean audience.

“I created spoon necklaces with the flags of each country participating in Carifesta. That has been a big hit. I made quite a few sales just because people enjoyed seeing their flag featured in a necklace. One customer bought six at once.”

Jennifer St. Louis of Poetry Kisses showcased products made from material that is uniquely Saint Lucian, while Shirley-Ann Edward of Shirley's Creations, a veteran in regional exhibitions displayed her uniquely created Saint Lucian themed Christmas decorations.

Fr his part, online entrepreneur Daren Louis pooled Caribbean creativity onto one single online platform—Shop De Caribbean.

“I showcase the wonderful products created in the Caribbean, and especially from my homeland, Saint Lucia. The product offering includes crafts, sulphur soaps, virgin coconut oil. At Shop De Caribbean we believe that there are amazing products to be found but there needs to be a platform where collective shopping can be done.”

Daren notes that one of the items on sale through Shop De Caribbean has been driven by visitors to Saint Lucia.

“One of most popular products on the site is the sulphur mud soap which uses the sulphur mud from the volcano. Visitors usually want to recreate that exfoliating feeling.”

The Saint Lucian artists at Carifesta hope to generate interest and spur demand for authentic Saint Lucian products.