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Key West
Gifts & Shopping
A-Really
Great Balloon Company
P.O. Box 4560
Key West, Florida 33041 3
305/296-1184
Alternative
Gifts
1419 Atlantic Blvd.
Key West, Florida 33040
305/294-3998, 294-8951
Blossoms
Florist
1075 Duval Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/296-2788
Call
of Africa's Native Visions
821 Duval Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/295-9364, 295-9366
Captain's
Corner Dive Shop
0 Duval Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/296-8865, 292-5019
Caribbean
Cigar Company
112 Fitzpatrick Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/292-9595, 292-3643
Cobo
Pharmacy
937 Fleming Steet
Key West, Florida 33040
305/294-2552, 292-1739
Turtle
Walk Perfumery
2784 N. Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West, Florida 33040
305/296-0330, 296-6046
Waterfront
Market
201 William Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/294-8418, 296-5849
Whitfield
Jack Jewelry Genius
200 Elizabeth Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305/294-7092, 296-4085
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Once the main industry of Key West, cigar making is enjoying renewed success
at the handful of factories that survived the slow years. Stroll through
"Cigar Alley," between Front and Greene streets, where you will
find viejitos - little old men - rolling fat stogies just as they used
to do in their homeland across the Florida Straits. Stop at the Key
West Cigar Factory, at 308 Front St. ( 305/294-3470),
for an excellent selection of imported and locally rolled smokes, including
the famous El Hemingway. Remember, buying or selling Cuban-made cigars
is illegal. Shops advertising "Cuban Cigars" are usually referring
to domestic cigars made from tobacco grown from seeds that were brought
from Cuba decades ago.
If you are looking for local or Caribbean art,
you will find nearly a dozen galleries and shops clustered on Duval
Street between Catherine and Fleming streets. You'll also find some
excellent shops scattered on the side streets. One worth seeking out
is the Haitian Art Co.,
600 Frances St. (305/296-8932), where you can browse through room upon
room of original paintings from well-known and obscure Haitian artists
in a range of prices from a few dollars to a few thousand. Also, check
out Cuba, Cuba!
at 814 Duval St. (305/295-9442). Here you will find paintings, sculpture
and photos by Cuban artists. Click here for our listings of Key
West galleries.
Literature buffs will appreciate the many book
shops and record stores on the island. Flaming
Maggie's at 800 Caroline St. carries a wide
selection of gay books (305/294-3931). Key
West Island Bookstore , at 513 Fleming St.
(305/294-2904), carries new, used, and rare books and specializes in
fiction by Keys's residents, including Hemingway, Tennessee Williams,
Shel Silverstein, Ann Beattie, Richard Wilbur, and John Hersey. Both
are open daily.
For anything else, from bed linens to candlesticks
to clothing, go to downtown's oldest and most renowned department store,
Fast Buck Freddie's ,
500 Duval St. (305/294-2007); it's open daily from 10am to 6pm in season,
11am to 7pm in the summer, and until 10pm most Saturdays and some evenings
in season. For the same merchandise at more reduced prices, try Half
Buck Freddie's , 726 Caroline St. (305/294-6799).
Here you can shop for out-of-season bargains and "rejects"
from the main store. Half Buck is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday only, from 11am to 5pm.
For more information contact: The
Florida Keys and Key West Visitors Bureau
, P.O. Box 1147, Key West, FL 33041 (800/FLA-KEYS),
or the Key West Chamber of Commerce, 402 Wall St., Key West, FL 33040
([tel] 800/527-8539 or 305/294-2587).
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ike
any tourist destination, Key West has an abundance of tourist shops,
ranging from tacky to fantastic. Antique stores, designer boutiques,
art galleries, and bookstores are peppered between the typical T-shirt
shops.