Art studio & boutique meets after school program that strives to help the children of the St. Croix community discover how unique they truly are! Unique by Maria Banwaree Art Studio & Boutique was founded in October 2019 with a primary goal to provide children with the help and encouragement needed to learn about who they are. Owner Maria Banwaree used to work with the children at her church in various capacities like art and reading and wanted to reach children beyond the holy sanctuary.
The first phase of the business was to build out the artist studio. In doing so, Banwaree helped students focus on mental health through the arts. “When you embrace who you are, that you are a unique and particular creation, everything works better in life,” said Banwaree. A secondary need became apparent through this first phase — the homework and task room. According to Banwaree, students would often need assistance with their homework when they participated in the artist studio. “Creating this room helped to fill the gap for a much-needed service, and it all went hand in hand.” The six-week summer camp is full of fun and learning where children can develop their artistic sides in the following areas: arts and crafts, painting, jewelry, beading, reading and writing, Spanish classes, agriculture, and much more. “At the end of the six weeks, the kids are completely transformed with more confidence and stronger belief that they are capable of accomplishing whatever they put their minds to.”
The global pandemic resulted in a shift in the business. With schools closed and everyone sheltering in place, Banwaree started a boutique selling name-brand items like Michael Kors, Guess, Calvin Klein, and Coach. The boutique offers an array of items including handbags, luggage, jewelry, women’s clothing, perfumes, candles, and books in English and Spanish. The boutique’s inviting atmosphere and top-notch customer service allow for a pleasant shopping experience for anyone who walks through its doors. Banwaree is quick to point out that the boutique is a complement to what she offers, with the studio being the true core of the business.
Be sure to check out the various events hosted at the studio. Embroidery and crystal candle-making classes are a few of the options available regularly, along with paint and sip classes and kid’s art classes. The studio’s first women’s retreat, I Am A Woman, was held on September 16, 2023. In collaboration with 506 Scents & Co., the retreat was geared towards helping women overcome their daily struggles, insecurities, and challenges by focusing on their mental and emotional well-being.
Unique by Maria Banwaree is located at 6 Company Street in downtown Christiansted and is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 7pm. Find out about their specialty classes and programs on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ uniquebyMB or by calling 340.473.1104.
Pleasant temperatures and low rainfall make December through May a great time to go to St. Croix especially if you are trying to escape the cold temperatures and precipitation that comes with living in states that have harsher winters. If you are planning to visit St. Croix in the winter, this is a great time to be on the look out for flight deals. We recently saw The Points Guy (TPG) mention winter flight deals to St. Croix for less than $400 (depending on when and were you fly from). You can read the article here.
Travel deal articles, industry-related newsletters, etc. that report flight sales are helpful in alerting consumers on certain deals, but often the deals are for very specific routes and dates, and often may not meet your requirements. That is why we recommend trying search engines like Google Flights to find cheap flights (note, Google Flights does not track Southwest Airlines flights) for more personalized deals. We have used it before and have read about it on The Points Guy and Thrifty Traveler. Enter your flight preferences, and the search engine shows flight options along with a historical price guide, which indicates whether the fare you found is low, high or near the average price for flights on this route. We find this very helpful when trying to book a flight that is best priced for our requirements.
“It can help you quickly find the best flights for your travel, but it can also track prices and let you know if you are getting a good deal.”
The Points Guy, 9/8/23
Want to learn more about Google Flights? These two articles will be helpful:
The V.I. Department of Education recently celebrated a significant construction milestone at the new Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School site according to the VI Consortium. The recent concrete pour signifies a significant construction milestone for the new school development project. Read more about the 3 planned phases of construction in this article here.
The Virgin Islands Department of Education held a groundbreaking ceremony in February 23 to announce the start of the $163 million construction of the new Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School, marking the first time in nearly three decades a school has been built in the Territory. The school, which will feature state-of-the-art learning spaces, will be located at the site of the former Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School. More information on the school’s plans can be found here.
The previous Arthur A. Richards Jr. High School was severely damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. According to the US Virgin Island Department of Education, the new school campus is designed to be net zero energy ready and is purposefully sited in an E-W orientation to maximize opportunities for passive cooling. The project will use the existing ecology and systems on the site and the culture and heritage of the islands in the design of the seven-building campus. 3D visualizations from the Department of Education below.
Congratulations to St. George Village Botanical Garden and the V. I. Trail Alliance for each receiving a $2.5M 4-year grant from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program! The botanical garden and the trail alliance were 2 of 385 grant proposals selected from thousands of entries nationwide.
The St. Croix Source reported that the grant, “Strength of Our R.O.O.T.S.: The Community’s Reclamation of Our Trees & Soil in the St. George Village Botanical Garden, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands,” is a conservation project that will plant trees in the St. George Village Botanical Garden and on school properties. The garden specifically hopes to increase the number and diversity of garden trees by 220% percent by planting 1,100 new tropical trees with associated labeling and signage. Read the full article here.
According the the VI Consortium, The Virgin Islands Trail Alliance Inc. plans to harness volunteer efforts to remove invasive species on St. Croix and replace them with native species and fruit trees, in an effort to “heal” the Big Island’s forests. “Healthier forests will provide tools for resilience to face daily and future environmental stresses,” according to the Trail Alliance. Read the full article here.
More about the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program:
The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism announced that feature film “Timeless: A Virgin Islands Love Story” will be available on streaming platform Amazon Prime starting September 6, 2023.
The date holds special significance as it marks the anniversary of Hurricane Irma’s devastating impact on the Virgin Islands. This hurricane deeply affected the lives of many, including the film’s writer, producer, and director, Edward La Borde, Jr.
The film was entirely produced and shot in the Virgin Islands, and showcases the talents of Virgin Islanders both in front of and behind the camera. According to the USVI Department of Tourism announcement, the making of “Timeless” was a three-year-long journey, filmed across 26 locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas and St. Croix. The breathtaking natural beauty of America’s Paradise provided the backdrop for the modern-day love story set during the Carnival on St. Thomas. Capturing the essence of the Virgin Islands’ culture, the movie incorporates music, dance, folklore, and colloquial expressions.
Read the full announcement and about the film here.
According to the Washington Post, over the past 18 months, mortgage rates have more than doubled as the Federal Reserve has repeatedly increased interest rates to fight inflation. Mortgage rates jumped to their highest level in more than two decades, with the average 30-year fixed loan coming in at 7.09 percent the week before this August 18, 2023 article was published. Read the full article here, we recommend it!
Mortgages have become more expensive because of the Federal Reserve’s campaign to get inflation under control by raising short-term interest rates to try to cool down the economy. This also causes longer-term rates like mortgages to also rise (see what experts say about this in an article from CBS News here).
The higher rates make home-ownership less affordable for many would-be buyers who rely on home financing. Similarly, the higher rates have also made potential sellers reluctant to sell their current homes for those who would likely have to pay more in mortgages for their next house purchase. However, industry analysts point out that home buyers still bought homes and took out mortgages when mortgage rates climbed throughout the 1970s and reached more than 18 percent in the early 1980s.
When home buyers with concerns on the high interest rates ask us when is the right time to buy, we advise buyers that the decision is based on their own readiness to buy and comfort level. Here on St. Croix, every property is truly unique. As we tell people, it may be your “forever home”, but it doesn’t have to be your “forever loan”. When interest rates go down, you can refinance, and you will have the property you love!
