Widely known for dining, fashion and entertainment, Camana Bay has also become reimagined as a décor and design district with six shops offering well-known, high-quality brands for those looking to modify their homes with art, furnishings, appliances and more.
Bang & Olufsen by Audiophile, Bedside Manor, Bon Vivant, Design Studio, GREAT ROOM by NKY and Workplace Environments provide an array of products and design services for kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, studies and more, providing convenience for clients and the ability to provide opportunities for collaboration.
"We work with [other shops] consistently on projects for supplies and to recommend them to clients because, especially on the interior design side, we specify the appliances and products they should use," said Michelle Butler, co-owner of Bedside Manor and Design Studio. "Within Camana Bay and the island in general, as a design group, we are really focused on utilising our local resources."
Bon Vivant owner Cynthia Hew said oftentimes clients are looking for a variety of items. She said the quality and breadth of options available at Camana Bay-based retailers mean she can refer customers to other stores that are just steps away.
"We have customers who are also looking for other home items — whether it's furnishings and fixtures or advice on layouts — and we're able to send them over to stores like Design Studio and Bedside Manor. We've really been able to create a little neighbourhood between us all to work together," said Hew.
How it all started
The town's collection of home-focused retail stores started in 2011 with Bon Vivant, a store based on what many Caribbean households see as the heart of the home — the kitchen. The showroom offers a wide array of kitchen goods and appliances, met with kitchen design services and culinary events.
Hew started the company with a desire to offer a range of quality kitchen items locally.
"There was a gap in what felt like a niche market to offer clientele the quality they deserved to have in a place they spend so much of their time at home," said Hew. "When developing the business plan, it wasn't just about how we make money, but what we wanted to give back to the marketplace. Not only did we want to give them quality products, but we also wanted to give an educational component through the demonstrations in our showroom."
Design Studio relocated to Camana Bay in 2014 after opening a few years prior by Butler — who is also an architect — and her husband Dave, an interior designer.
Design Studio offers interior design services, as well as home décor and furniture from local artists and over 200 international brands. For Butler, this variety helps them achieve a specific and meaningful goal.
"We want to make sure that we're not selling art or furniture in a kit, so everything we have is bespoke and thoughtful," she said. "If someone's buying pieces from us, the intention is that they're going into a home where they will be collected over time and that they're pieces that the customer loves."
In addition to Bon Vivant and Design Studio, there's Bang & Olufsen by Audiophile, which offers a range of audio-visual design solutions; Bedside Manor, which — as the name might suggest — provides a variety of bedding and other bedroom products; Workplace Environments, which mainly focuses on commercial spaces but offers solutions for home workspaces as well; and the latest shop to open, GREAT ROOM by NKY, which features hand-crafted furniture, original art and home décor.
This article will also appear in the December/January print edition of Camana Bay Times.