Roseau Old Market

The Old Market in Roseau occupies a historically significant square in the centre of Dominica's capital city, Saint George Parish. The site served as an active slave market until emancipation in 1834 — a grim history now acknowledged by a memorial on the square — and later functioned as the city's primary produce market. Today the Old Market Square has been redesignated as a craft and cultural hub, with a colourful two-storey building at its centre housing vendors selling locally produced goods. The ground floor and surrounding stalls offer a curated selection of Dominican crafts, including woven larouma-reed baskets from the Kalinago Territory, locally pressed bay oil (derived from the Bayrum tree, a Dominican speciality), artisan soaps scented with local botanicals, hand-painted clothing, wooden carvings, spices including locally grown bay leaves and cinnamon, and artwork by Dominican artists. The quality of goods is generally higher than at beachside souvenir stalls, and many vendors are the producers themselves. The surrounding square and streets maintain a working market character — the New Market on the riverbank sells fresh produce, fish, and ground provisions within walking distance. The Old Market area sits on the edge of Roseau's historic district, making it an easy starting point for a walking tour of the town's wooden Creole colonial architecture, the Roseau Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven, and the waterfront esplanade. Admission to the market building is free. The market is most active on Saturday mornings and quiet on Sundays. A Dominican Tourism Authority visitor information office is located near the square.