Grove-Mart

Grove-Mart is a great inexpensive place to ‘shop’ anywhere in the world. They have ‘branches’ in every country. I can understand if you have never heard of it though. Grove-Mart is the name we affectionately use when exploring for items that have blown and floated into the mangroves. Originally we came up with the name when we owned our house in Marathon in the Florida Keys. After storms, there were always treasures to be found in the mangroves, which boaters in Boot Key Harbor forgot to secure or bring inside. We would take our kayaks on safari and wind up with pails, bait buckets, fenders, cushions, boat hooks and fish gaffs, among many other items. This sporting event carries over not just here in the Bahamas but even when I am kayaking up on the lakes in the Adirondack Mountains. We are starting to get quite a collection of fenders that I have found way back in the bulrushes.



One of the best ‘purchases’ that we have made at Grove-Mart happened quite recently. We were kayaking in an interesting mangrove creek right outside of Marsh Harbour that very few people even know about.


Low and behold, on the ‘top shelf of the store’ was a bimini/canopy top for a small boat, just hanging way up in the branches. It was a bit rusty and looked like it had been there for quite some time. It must have blown in last year when there was a waterspout in the area. Later, Dave went back with our dinghy to investigate further and found that it was the exact right size for the boat. What are the chances of that? He brought it back, cleaned it up, repaired a few stitches in the top, and has installed it on the boat. Now we will have both sun and rain protection. What a find and at the right price.

Until we get back to civilization and Wal-Mart, we will have to make do with Grove-Mart. It’s definitely more fun, less crowded and no standing in line at the check out! Well, except for maybe these two guys...