Haitian Gallery — Attraction in San Juan

Stay away from this place as about 90% of the stuff they sell comes from other countries like china, peru, guatemala nothing genuinely made "puerto rican artisans". An example is the small surfboards that you give away as souvenirs i picked one up and the price tag which was $25.00 was covering a partiallt removed "made in china" sticker. I made a comment about it to my girlfriend and immediately the older lady with short white hair at the counter got defensive and began hurling insults at me, another store employee also began doing the same. I walked out and another employee followed me again hurling insults. Half a block away there was another humble looking shop selling the same souvenir's and the supposedly "artisan made crafts" at nearly half price or cheaper. The surfboard that was supposedly artisan made was available at this shop for $15 and they did not attempt to hide the "made in china" label and were very upfront about it. They made a great recomendation that if you want true artisan made souvenir's either walk the "paseo de la princesa" just before the "el morro" park or visit the town of "san sebastian" in the center of the island on fridays there you will find awesome souvenir's made by local artisan's. Looking through the web i've found many complaints about "the haitian gallery" if i would have known about how rude and combative the staff would be i would not have gone in the first place. Stay away from this place overpriced, fraudulant and low class management and equally if not even lower class employees. Who in their right mind would follow someone half a block hurling insults at a person for stating a simple and...

I was really excited to visit this place because of my Haitian heritage, but I left feeling deeply disappointed. I was treated like a thief and followed around the store by a man pretending to be a secret shopper. What they didn’t know is that I speak Haitian Creole, Spanish, and English, so I clearly understood the conversations happening around me and what they were really up to.

It was incredibly disheartening to be profiled in a space that should celebrate our culture. I had actually planned to purchase several pieces, but instead, I was made to feel unwelcome and disrespected. They treated someone of Haitian descent like a criminal while showing warmth and deference to others especially those who looked like colonizers.

Ironically, much of the art in the store wasn’t even authentic. I won’t be returning. It’s a shame that in a place like Puerto Rico, people still fail to realize that someone who looks like you probably also speaks your language and comes from the same roots.

When I realized what was happening, I deliberately switched to Haitian Creole to make sure they understood I knew exactly what was going on. I walked out, heartbroken. This experience made it painfully clear that this space is not for Haitians—or for Black people, period. And that’s especially disappointing, given Haiti’s rich cultural legacy. We truly can be our own...

🌴 If your visit to the the island has inspired you to set up your own Caribbean “Man Cave” or “She Shed” upon your return home, THIS IS YOUR PLACE! It’s got all you need and will ship things home! ✈️

🇭🇹 The Haitian Gallery has been owned and operated by the same ambitious family for many years, their sunny shop sells everything to meet your decorative needs. They’re constantly finding new items to include in their establishment. Choose from their many colorful paintings 🖼 , carved sculptures , unique decorative masks , magnets, religious symbols and faux iguanas! 🦎 Ask to see one of their naughty “Barrel Men”, a souvenir you’ll show off to your friends and treasure forever!

🇭🇹 The Haitian Gallery has a strong air conditioning system too! Afterwards, head to nearby “Mariel Arts & Crafts” at 109 Calle Fortaleza where you can find Puerto Rican musical Instruments for Paranda’s. jewelry, wind chimes, tiled letters of the alphabet and more. It’s run by a lovely woman!!!. Enjoy! Jwi jounen w!

Haitian Gallery...