OSJ: How long have you been on St. John?

JS: Gosh, a long time. I came here from New Mexico about 30 years ago. I ran the Caneel Bay gift shop for years. I opened Bamboula 18 years ago.

OSJ: Bamboula is a great name. What does it mean?

JS: Bamboula is an old time Caribbean dance, a high-energy dance that was originally done by slaves. At one point in the 1800’s it was outlawed on St. Thomas.  The name fit what I hoped to do with the store. We’re all about culture and about music.

OSJ: You were one of Mongoose Junction’s very first tenants, right?

JS: We were THE original tenant. Us, along with Big Planet. We opened our doors in November of 1989, right after Hurricane Hugo. We didn’t even have power when we opened, and we had customers right from the start. Lots of customers, even without power. It was amazing. I wasn’t expecting it.

OSJ: What’s been the best part about running a store like this?

JS: My buying trips. I love finding things from places like Haiti. The folk art. I love going to Haiti and Jamaica and going up into the mountains and finding the most amazing artists and their carvings.

OSJ: Why are you looking to sell the store?

JS: It’s been 18 years. It is time to do something new. I’m ready to move on. I love the store and it has been really fun doing it all of these years. I can’t believe the loyalty of the people who come here. Some of my customers are the grown up children of customers who shopped here years ago.  I will miss it. But it’s time for something new.

OSJ: Like what?

JS: I have some ideas. I’m just not ready to talk about them yet. I don’t want to jinx anything.

OSJ: That’s silly.

JS: Well, I might be going to another island. The Caribbean is my place. I’ve traveled all over the world, but the Caribbean is my place.  Maybe I’ll look for a less-developed island for my next stop.

OSJ: Are your mom and sister coming with you if you leave?

JS: That’s entirely up to them!

OSJ: Who would be the perfect buyer for your store?

JS: I’d love to see somebody buy it that has a very keen sense of the retail business. And somebody who wants to keep the name. Everybody wants to have somebody take over that has the same vision. I’d just like to see that happen, and I’d like to see the store taken to a new level as well.

OSJ: So what exactly is that vision?

JS: It’s hard to describe. But everything in our store is somehow connected. The clothing. The art work. The musical instruments.  It is about culture and keeping culture alive. Our store works because it has a really strong point of view. It is about ethnic Caribbean. We try to get really unusual things. And everything just sort of works together. That point of view is throughout the store.

OSJ: How have visitors changed on St. John in your 30 years?

JS: A couple of ways. Years ago, people would come and visit and they would mix with locals. They’d leave happy and relaxed. These days I don’t see that as much. St. John has become very Americanized. Also, it seems like it’s harder for people who come here to relax. They all have cell phones and Blackberries. It seems like it’s harder for people to leave work behind and just have a good time.  But even now, everybody who visits agrees that St. John is a magical place.

OSJ: If somebody buys your store, do they get your contacts up in the mountains on Haiti and Jamaica?

JS: Absolutely!  I’ll even take them on a few buying trips!