Our hometown in the states instituted a sign code requiring all placards, banners and business markers to follow a set of restrictive rules. In short, everything is marked with words sans character or art; rather bland and boring.

But not so in the Caribbean where pretty much every sign comes to life by a hand holding a paint brush or a very magical marker. Some are created with a sense of urgency like the hand scrawled security sign in Tortola declaring, “BAD BOYS KEEP AWAY.” If bad boys read, I wonder if they actually follow directions? Carved into a century plant in Anguilla at the edge of private property was the message, “NO TREES PASSING,” so we didn’t. I always give a wide berth to a sign in Antigua that reads, "THIS PLACE MIGHT NOT BURGLAR-PROOF, BUT YOU ARE NOT BULLET PROOF" and I heed the warning from another one beside it stating, "IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO- PLEASE-DON’T DO IT HERE." No, sir-ee and, "MEN-DO NOT SIT ON DIS COOLER."

Most island signs sprout up when West Indians decide to make a business. Tacked to a building, a post, tree or displayed sandwich board style, your wants and needs are spelled out in detail like the one for Clippers Barber Shop where you can get a jerry curl, if you happen to know what it is. In Jost Van Dyke, Rudy’s Rendezvous Grocery lists everything imaginable on their sign but I can guarantee that you won’t find much of it in the store except for the "MAKERS HANGOVERS! CURES!"

Hand painted and drawn menu boards abound on every island displaying the day’s catch, house specialty, drink concoctions or something like Ducana that you’ve always wanted to try.




My favorite menu-boards are cut out in the shape of a fish, a bunch of bananas, queen conch or other easily identifiable form. Clever restaurateurs add graphics and color, clever sayings, eye-catching adornments.

The Pine Apple Inn at White Bay in Jost Van Dyke dared the elements of sand and sea by painstakingly making their road sign from old bottle caps.

I love a corner collection of artisan signs, clustered together at a highly visible spot like a bunch of teenagers. These over stimulating groupings, like the one in
Coral Bay, St. John, probably bring about as many accidents as business but they sure look great..

There are some West Indian signs that no matter how you twist them, just do not make sense. "YOU DIRTY RAS BISKIT," crookedly staked in a yard, mystified us for years and it took a while this year to puzzle out, "NO TRUSS- NO FUSS- NO BUSS."


For certain, the most famous of all Caribbean signs is the "MISTER CREDIT IS DEAD" or one of it’s many knockoffs. If you don’t like Mr. Credit "YOU CAN GO TO HELEN WAIT," or so the sign says!
Jan