Furniture. Bring it with you or buy it here?
Belize has beautiful tropical hardwood furniture in a wide price range that holds up to the tropical climate well. Much of the furniture you may be bringing from home is not meant to withstand the salt air or humid conditions. Avoid the hassle of shipping furniture into the country by taking advantage of the furniture here.
Furniture makers:
The Mennonites are the largest furniture makers in Belize and make affordable pieces. However, it is not as hardy as other furniture, but it certainly is priced well enough that you may want to purchase some while you wait on your bespoke furniture to arrive.
Belize furniture makers don’t typically have much “ready-made” furniture or inventory. Instead, most of all it is custom-made to order. Oddly, it doesn’t cost more to have a custom-made piece as opposed to a standard one. A few pieces we ordered took four months! So, we purchased some inexpensive Mennonite furniture in the meantime.
Most of the Mennonites are in Spanish Lookout and Shipyard. There are individual Mennonites that come to, sell a few pieces, and take orders. Many do not have phones as it is against their practice. Others have them but do not answer them regularly since they are not supposed to have phones.
Price Range for Mennonite Furniture: Chairs-$20US/$40BZ, Tables-$40US/$80US, Nightstands-$15US/$30BZ
Where to find Mennonite Furniture:
Belmopan: On Fridays at the market, Mennonites come and set up tents, selling their furniture.
Dangriga: Usually every other Friday, Jacob, comes to town from Shipyard. He is in the parking lot across from BTL, kind of by the market. *Update. In 2021, Jacob moved to Peru. Peter now comes from Shipyard.
Kuylen’s in Dangriga. Open Monday-Saturday and carries Mennonite furniture.
Most of the little Middle Eastern shops scattered throughout the country carry some used and new Mennonite pieces.
*Pro-tip: Ask for your pieces to be unvarnished. Then, oil them yourself. This will allow for easier care as you won’t have to worry with sanding in the future when the varnish fades. Instead, you can just keep oiling and it makes for a richer look. (All the Mennonite furniture comes automatically varnished.) Ordering it unvarnished is a custom-order.
Below is a partial list of Belize furniture makers that have unique, custom pieces and I have ordered pieces from them. Most have Facebook pages with their current contact information. (In Belize, people and business change numbers frequently and tend to have FB pages opposed to websites.)
Belize Woodworking: Bruno Kuppinger located in Merfredi. Although currently, he has his shop for sale after 30 years in business. Update: In 2021, Bruno sold his shop.
Boss P: located in Dangriga.
Chris Salas Furniture: located in Isabella Bank, just outside of Burrell Boom www.salasfurniture.com
Espinal’s Furniture: located in Dangriga on the road to the airstrip
Lorenzo Logan’s Furniture: located in Bella Vista Village
Medina’s: located in San Ignacio
Other:
Ashely Home Furniture: located in Belize City
Art Box: located outside of Belmopan toward Belize City carries furniture.
Hummingbird Furnishings: located in Belmopan and Placencia carries imported indoor/outdoor furniture
Mirab’s located in Belize City is a furniture and home store
Orange Gallery located in Cayo
