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Belgian Chocolate Shop is History #188662
03/25/2019 04:36 PM
03/25/2019 04:36 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
ruralcarrier Offline OP
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ruralcarrier  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio


J.D.
SXM Sponsors
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188664
03/25/2019 04:42 PM
03/25/2019 04:42 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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RonDon  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
One of our first stops only to find it gone. Not much has reopened on Old Street and the yellow car is there with all its damage.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188667
03/25/2019 04:45 PM
03/25/2019 04:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 721
B
bran Offline
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bran  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 721
The main part in that story was the fact that cruise lines are not bringing in quality tourists and they are not spending money to boot....seen this happening all over the various Islands for about 10 years now and each season gets a little bit worse.....more's the pity.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188670
03/25/2019 05:06 PM
03/25/2019 05:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
ruralcarrier Offline OP
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ruralcarrier  Offline OP
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
Our first visit to SXM was via cruise ship but that was in 1991 and I know cruising has changed a lot since then. When I see the large tour buses, the 4-wheeler excursions, the pre-packaged tours to the beach, etc., I know some of the people on cruises are spending $$ but most are booking via the cruise line. I am not sure what a "quality tourist" actually is but I know the cruise lines used to play games to sucker people into booking the tours off the ship.

One popular restaurant in Simpson Bay is doing a beach chair/lunch combo thing with the cruise lines and on some days were handling around 200 patrons off the cruise ship.


J.D.
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: RonDon] #188673
03/25/2019 05:12 PM
03/25/2019 05:12 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Rosemary--was the store that sold glass jewelry on Old Street, was it open, did you see?? I LOVED that place. Although one can get their stuff mail order from Curacao I guess, although I haven't done that. I have a necklace set that I bought there, that I always get great complements on, as it is so unusual.


Carol Hill
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188678
03/25/2019 05:31 PM
03/25/2019 05:31 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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RonDon  Offline
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Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
Yes, I think it was. At least I saw one store selling beautiful jewelry that was not gem stones.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: RonDon] #188703
03/25/2019 08:16 PM
03/25/2019 08:16 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Oh, that's GOOD news, if so!!!! Did it look to be glass jewelry??


Carol Hill
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188714
03/26/2019 07:56 AM
03/26/2019 07:56 AM
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
K
KitKat Offline
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KitKat  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
FYI. Jean Pierre from Antoines has a little cafe now on Old Street. It is on the right side of the street just before the old yellow car and has tables out front. We went there for lunch a few weeks ago and he was delighted to see us. Can't now remember the name, but it is very French and very good. Only open for breakfast and lunch.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188719
03/26/2019 08:13 AM
03/26/2019 08:13 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Thank you for posting this. We tried to find him in November but he was not open when we were in town. We knew the location and could see signs of his efforts but couldn’t find him or the shop open. We’ve known him since he was a very young man working as a waiter at the original Antoine’s. Will definitely see him next trip.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: pat] #188721
03/26/2019 08:47 AM
03/26/2019 08:47 AM
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
K
KitKat Offline
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KitKat  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
Jean Pierre only opened if a couple weeks before we found it, I believe in mid Feb.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188748
03/26/2019 11:53 AM
03/26/2019 11:53 AM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 721
B
bran Offline
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bran  Offline
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Posts: 721
anyone have a name of this Restaurant and approx where it is. French food? I'm not so familiar with this area but intend to get to know it better on next trip.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188749
03/26/2019 11:56 AM
03/26/2019 11:56 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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RonDon  Offline
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Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
I thought that place was only coffee croissants, sandwiches, quiches and pastry. There were two on right side (if you're walking away from water and toward Back Street. This was the first one. Can't remember name either.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: Carol_Hill] #188755
03/26/2019 12:18 PM
03/26/2019 12:18 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 334
S
StMartinFan Offline
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StMartinFan  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 334
If the store you're thinking about was Elements, with the handmade glass by the artist on a different island, it has not reopened. (I didn't remember that it was Curaçao, but that sounds right.) We looked for it specifically when we were there in February. I think their storefront was still vacant. They had 2 locations and we also looked for their original store on Front Street near Antoine’s and that is gone too.

The couple running the stores had moved to the island at the request of the artist and didn't have any other ties there. If I remember correctly they had taken this on as an adventure after ending another career, so were near retirement age and had family in the US.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: StMartinFan] #188756
03/26/2019 12:19 PM
03/26/2019 12:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
StMartinFan--yes, that is the name of it. Sorry to hear that it was another casualty of Irma...


Carol Hill
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188774
03/26/2019 03:23 PM
03/26/2019 03:23 PM
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
K
KitKat Offline
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KitKat  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
Bran & RonDon: I believe Jean Pierre's cafe is called French Touch, and is on Old Street in Phillipsburg. He bought the place from the previous owner after it was damaged by Irma and renamed it. Guess he was bored after selling Antoines.

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188781
03/26/2019 03:50 PM
03/26/2019 03:50 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
KitKat,

Thank you so much for your up-dates. Our daughter and SIL ran into him on the Front Street last summer but we completely missed JP despite our efforts in November.

We feared that ‘boredom’ might become an issue for him. He has worked at his restaurant trade since he was a very young man, never really knowing the pleasures of nights off at home with his now grown family. The sandwich shop, when he told us about his plans, sounded like it might be just the answer for him, although when he first spoke of it, we thought his plan was to become merely a lunch time waiter. But I’m not surprised that he now owns it. Once being your own boss it’s hard to be an underling.

Very happy for him and we will plan on seeing him for sure next trip, even if we have to camp out on his doorstep.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: KitKat] #188785
03/26/2019 04:28 PM
03/26/2019 04:28 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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RonDon  Offline
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Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
Originally Posted by KitKat
Bran & RonDon: I believe Jean Pierre's cafe is called French Touch, and is on Old Street in Phillipsburg. He bought the place from the previous owner after it was damaged by Irma and renamed it. Guess he was bored after selling Antoines.



KitKat, was that the place with the pretty painted sign of a goose?

Re: Belgian Chocolate Shop is History [Re: ruralcarrier] #188796
03/26/2019 05:29 PM
03/26/2019 05:29 PM
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
K
KitKat Offline
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KitKat  Offline
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K
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 90
Port Huron, Michigan
RonDon, I honestly don't know. I never paid much attention to the former cafe there, nor did I eat there.


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