In keeping with the last few issues of Portfolio, which have been informing you about SLASPA’s facilities, this week, we focus on La Place Carenage Duty Free Shopping Mall. Many of you know it as the home to many cruise ships and passengers, but La Place also boasts a variety of shopping and is home to the ever popular Tea Time Jazz.

Opened in December 1996, the mall was once a general cargo shed used for storing inter island traffic such as confectionery, pickled meats and cans of butter which was transported by schooners. SLASPA’s thinking behind this development was two‐fold: firstly, as part of its mandate to carry out projects designed to stimulate social and economic growth and secondly because there were no duty free facilities to serve the increasing number of cruise ships berthing on this side of the port.

Today, La Place Carenage is one of St. Lucia’s premier shopping facilities. Its colonial styled façade and fully air‐conditioned three story interior is home to 24 shops including a restaurant and bar. It offers a perfect mix of shopping, dining and entertainment, catering to both tourists and locals. The shops feature a range of products from jewelry, perfumes and clothing to arts and craft pieces.

To enhance the product offering at the mall, Our Planet, the only interactive visitor centre of its kind in the world, was opened in June, 2011. Our Planet boasts a variety of interactive games on large touch screens to a room‐size kaleidoscope called the “mirror‐sphere”, which is the largest in the world, a model of the planet in space installed by NASA, an “immersive” tunnel, life‐size holograms, interactive floors and last but not least the laser‐show and special effects in the Our Planet Theatre.

Whether you are looking for that special gift for someone or even somewhere to take the kids, visit La Place Carenage Duty Free Shopping Mall where you can get the things you want, at a price you can afford. For more information call 453‐2451 or 457‐6110.