What Mariel Arts and Crafts is known for
Open since 2014 at 109 Calle Fortaleza in Old San Juan, Mariel Arts and Crafts stocks larimar and shell jewelry, wooden masks, Wayuu bags and musical instruments from Puerto Rican and wider Caribbean and Latin American artisans.
Mariel Arts and Crafts has run since 2014 at 109 Calle Fortaleza, one of Old San Juan's principal artisan-shopping streets, positioning itself as a gift shop built around Puerto Rican and wider Caribbean and Latin American craft rather than generic souvenirs. The inventory spans handcrafted jewelry made with larimar, amethyst and shell, wall decor including wooden masks and ceramics, musical instruments like maracas and guiros, and Wayuu bags and accessories sourced from the wider Latin American artisan tradition.
The shop is run day to day by its namesake owner, Mariel, whose hands-on approach to customer service, including reportedly checking her own warehouse stock to fulfill a customer's specific request when the shop floor didn't have it, has become part of its local reputation among regular visitors. Alongside the crafts, the shop stocks games and toys such as dominoes and wooden pieces, rounding out a selection built around bringing home tangible pieces of Puerto Rican and broader Caribbean culture. It operates both as a walk-in storefront in Old San Juan and as an online retailer shipping internationally, serving customers well beyond the street where it started.
Best for — Owner Mariel's personally curated selection of Caribbean and Latin American craft
Puerto Rico
Where next
- Craft Cottage Jamaica — Jamaica
- Ceramic Terre et Mer — Réunion
- Readytex Crafts & Souvenirs — Paramaribo
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement