Can I buy furniture in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
Ray Jackson - Secret Cove
Traditional Nica [Nicaraguan] furniture is not made and rarely sold in San Juan unless at a garage sale. Bent frame and woven furniture is made and sold in Masatepe where the furniture makers are located who meet the demand of the local population. There is a carpentry shop in San Juan for small tables, cabinets and bookcases. Prices are reasonable but the quality of the wood and finish is average. Nica furniture is also sold in Rivas and in other major...
Traditional Nica [Nicaraguan] furniture is not made and rarely sold in San Juan unless at a garage sale. Bent frame and woven furniture is made and sold in Masatepe where the furniture makers are located who meet the demand of the local population. There is a carpentry shop in San Juan for small tables, cabinets and bookcases. Prices are reasonable but the quality of the wood and finish is average. Nica furniture is also sold in Rivas and in other major cities throughout the country.
Remember Nicaragua is known for its guilds, so furniture is made in Masatepe, hammocks in Masaya, jewelry and hand carvings in Masaya, pottery in San Juan del Oriente, and plants and flowers in Catarina.
Original furniture is made in Gigante by Jackson Originals. For example roble (a native oak hardwood) beach and pool chairs with a lifetime warranty on construction are sold for $65 at Big Wave Dave's in San Juan at the Saturday market and on display in front of the Secret Cove Inn. This firm also makes custom tables, cabinets coffee tables, beds doors and cabinets.
Posted May 8, 2014
Eugenio Cortez - Hacienda & Ecolodge Morgan´s Rock
There are local stores in San Juan Del Sur that sell local house and office furniture. There are hardware stores in San Juan Del Sur, so you can also build your own furniture. I am pretty sure there is a local store that makes furniture here, but overall, San Juan Del Sur is not known for furniture-making or shopping.
If you want to buy good quality furniture, you can either go to Managua or you can speak with one of local craftsmen, who can build...
There are local stores in San Juan Del Sur that sell local house and office furniture. There are hardware stores in San Juan Del Sur, so you can also build your own furniture. I am pretty sure there is a local store that makes furniture here, but overall, San Juan Del Sur is not known for furniture-making or shopping.
If you want to buy good quality furniture, you can either go to Managua or you can speak with one of local craftsmen, who can build furniture for you. In Managua, they sell furniture, which are about the same quality and type as you would commonly find in the US. The price may be a little higher than what you would expect in the US because the furniture is all imported into Nicaragua.
If you get your furniture built by the local craftsmen, you can expect to pay less, but you will find that the quality is better because they use real hard wood that is local here Nicaragua. Wood is much cheaper here than in the US and the labor cost to make the furniture is way less, too.
As an example, a king-sized mahogany bedframe would be about US $150 to $200 here in San Juan Del Sur, whereas in the US, that could cost around $700 to $800. You can take a magazine photo of the bed that you want and take it to the local craftsmen. He will have a look at it and quote you the cost, and will tell you to come back in about 2 weeks. The furniture you will end up with will be high quality furniture that will 20 years.
Posted December 29, 2014
Lance Moss - Surfari Charters
There are cool places to buy and sell sofas in San Juan del Sur. There’s also some really cool towns half way between San Juan Del Sur and Managua that are known for their furniture. You can go to those towns and they’ll be what seems like 50 workshops on the side of the road, all building furniture. You can pick out some awesome hand crafted items and you can even order what you would want to get made specifically for you. I think you’re...
There are cool places to buy and sell sofas in San Juan del Sur. There’s also some really cool towns half way between San Juan Del Sur and Managua that are known for their furniture. You can go to those towns and they’ll be what seems like 50 workshops on the side of the road, all building furniture. You can pick out some awesome hand crafted items and you can even order what you would want to get made specifically for you. I think you’re better off to go on to one of those types of towns and find your own furniture and have a little adventure.
There are all types of furniture available. You can get the cheap stuff or you can get the really nice stuff. There are a couple of companies in Managua that build really high-end furniture with incredible wood, and certified. These are more expensive and you can get furniture that is a work of art that will last a lifetime. Alternatively, you can get cheaper furniture that will last only a few years.
(Upholstered furniture available at Tapaceria Lolo Morales, Managua, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted November 26, 2015
Elisha MacKay
You can buy furniture in San Juan Del Sur but there is very limited selection. There is one shop here in San Juan Del Sur where you could go in and purchase furniture. They also sell motorcycles, quads, stoves, refrigerators, and blenders, but the selection is very limited. The quality is not to a standard that most would be used to with furniture in Canada or the United States. If I'm looking to buy furniture for my home here in San Juan Del Sur,...
You can buy furniture in San Juan Del Sur but there is very limited selection. There is one shop here in San Juan Del Sur where you could go in and purchase furniture. They also sell motorcycles, quads, stoves, refrigerators, and blenders, but the selection is very limited. The quality is not to a standard that most would be used to with furniture in Canada or the United States. If I'm looking to buy furniture for my home here in San Juan Del Sur, I would have something made. This is the beauty for me about living in Nicaragua. Although I can't just go to a big box store and buy a beautiful table or a dress, on the other hand, I can work with a woodworker or carpenter and have whatever I want built at very reasonable costs.
Gordon and I have a beautiful tigerwood table in our home. We can sit eight people around this table. It took 10 guys to get this table into our home. Our friend, Edward, who has a sawmill in Masaya (a town just before we get to Managua), built it for us. Literally, you could purchase this table for US $900. In Canada, I'm guessing this would cost thousands to have this table. I just know it's a beautiful table.
Over the five years that we've been living in Nicaragua, we've done very well at not acquiring a ton of stuff. Almost everything in our house has a purpose. When we make a purchase, we would really think about, "Do I need this? Am I going to use it?" This table definitely is one of our prized possessions here in San Juan Del Sur and we are super happy to have it.
(Four poster bed, Managua, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted May 31, 2017