The Challenges of Being a Maker in Grenada: Why Local Artists & Small Businesses Need More Support

Grenada is a land full of talent, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Wherever you go on this beautiful island, you’ll find incredible artists, skilled crafters, and passionate small business owners putting their heart and soul into their work. Their creations tell our stories—a painting, a wind chime, a bottle of local spice, or a handmade piece of jewelry. But behind every beautiful product is a much harder story, one that often goes untold.

The Harsh Reality: Limited Support for Grenadian Makers

The sad truth is that, as a small island, Grenada is often left out in the cold when it comes to platforms and opportunities that many creators around the world can access. Major online marketplaces like Etsy—the go-to site for artisans and handmade goods—do not support Grenadian sellers. Popular online payment and donation platforms like Buy Me a Coffee or most international credit card processors simply don’t allow accounts from Grenada. Even opening a Facebook or TikTok shop to reach a wider audience isn’t an option here.

It feels like everywhere we turn, there’s a closed door. While artists and small businesses in other countries can set up online shops with just a few clicks, Grenadians are left with limited options and have to work twice as hard just to be seen, heard, and paid.

Shipping: Expensive and Unreliable

Even when someone does discover and fall in love with a Grenadian creation, getting it to them can be a challenge. Shipping from Grenada is expensive—prohibitively so for many buyers—and often unreliable. Packages can take weeks, sometimes months, and tracking is hit or miss. For a small business trying to build a reputation and keep customers happy, these barriers are enormous.

Tourism Is Not Enough

For many makers, tourism is the main lifeline. But tourism in Grenada, as in many small islands, only lasts a few months each year. For the rest of the time, local artists and businesses are left to rely on the small local market, which simply isn’t enough to sustain them or help them grow.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Help the Small Islands?

It’s disheartening to see how often small islands like Grenada are overlooked by global companies and support systems. Our voices are small, but our art, our products, and our culture are so valuable. We are more than just a stopover for tourists—we are creators, innovators, and storytellers who deserve a chance to share our talents with the world.

That’s Why I Started islandmadegrenada.com

Seeing these struggles firsthand is exactly why I started islandmadegrenada.com. I wanted to create a free, supportive space where Grenadian makers, artists, and small businesses could showcase their work and connect with a wider audience—no matter what barriers the global platforms put in our way. While I can’t solve every challenge, I hope that by sharing our stories and our creativity, we can find new ways to support each other and keep Grenada’s spirit alive.

A Call for Change

If you’re reading this from outside Grenada, please know how much your support matters. When you buy local, share our stories, or even just cheer us on, you are helping to keep our creative spirit alive. And if you’re part of a platform or a company with the power to make change, please—don’t forget the small islands. We may be small, but we have so much to offer.

Until then, we will keep creating, keep dreaming, and keep supporting each other the best we can—because that’s what Grenadians do.