Who We Are
We are a small-scale importer of truly unique handmade art and home décor from amazing tropical locations and remote places that are on roads less traveled. We are also becoming a specialty travel agency that will focus on tropical destinations!
We love to travel, we love the beach, and we love the tropics and the people who live in these amazing places. We love tropical art and design and the stories that inspire them.
We love to share cool stuff we find with others!
We ship from a small warehouse in Houston, Texas.
Our margins are small because our goal is to help the artists and villagers we work with.
We are all about caring customer service. Sometimes we are really busy but we really do care and want to make you happy.
We really do try to ship as quickly as possible! If we don’t have an item in stock, sometimes our artists will have them available. Shipping times to the US will vary and can take as long as 8 weeks. We don’t have control over the shipping services or US Customs! We will always let you know the status of an order. We are currently only able to ship within the US but we hope to take international orders very soon.
We recycle shipping and packing materials! If we can reuse a box that we received to pack your order, we will do that. If you open your delivery and you see bubble wrap that has tape stuck to it from a previous shipment or crumpled paper that looks like it has been used before, as long as these materials can still thoroughly protect what we ship to you, we will reuse them! It helps to keep our costs and pricing down.
We love connecting with people from all over the world who share our vision for a simpler and more loving world, especially those who know and love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
We absolutely love island living and the tropical way of life. We consider each day to be a blessing!
We are ZERO slave labor, child labor, sweatshops and factories!
Why Are We Doing This?
It’s simple! We want to bring the authentic beauty of the tropics to people who dream of getting away from the daily grind while empowering local artists and craftsmen at the same time. We want to help people create amazingly beautiful, peaceful and relaxing personal spaces with products that are handmade, that are unique and genuine, and that have real value. For those who want to get away and need help getting there, we will soon be able to assist you! Having a true tropical experience that you can live with everyday is so important!
Who We Are Not
We do not have the “big business” mindset and we are not “big city” people. Even though we are located in Houston, we are really in the islands, in spirit!
We are not into uniform, mass-produced products that are always identical in every aspect. Each item we carry is individually made by hand. There will always be minor variations in shape, size, and color. There will be minor imperfections as well, including small dents or scratches. No two items of anything we carry will ever be identical.
We currently are not able to offer free shipping. So please don’t ask for free shipping. We simply cannot offer it at this time due to the small margins we have in place.
We absolutely do not support China or anything that is made in China. This is not only because of their non-existent respect for human rights and the environment but also because so much of what they produce is simply garbage.
We are not perfect. We are passionate, hard-working and fun, but we are not perfect. If an order is not perfect, we sincerely apologize and appreciate your understanding.
Who You Are
You love the tropics! You have a true appreciation for the smallest details that go into true authentic tropical décor and interior design.
You are interested in learning about the differences in “tropical” decor:
- Coastal (Florida / Southern California, New England, Mediterranean)
- Nautical (seafaring, living on a boat)
- Tiki (mid-20th century Polynesian)
- True Tropical (modern-day, location specific)
- South Pacific (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia)
- Hawaii
- Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Maldives)
- Caribbean
- Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia – especially Bali and Java)
Traveling to a tropical destination is so much more than something on a bucket list. You learn what you can about a country before you set foot on a plane.
You try to learn the simple basics of the local language before traveling. You love interacting with people in their home countries and want to show them that you love who they are!
Even if you stay at a major hotel chain, you seek out true local experiences in food, music, art and culture.
You feel connected to your fellow human beings in remote places when you hold something they have created in your hands.
You are patient, understanding, and polite.
You can wait several weeks for something to arrive if we have to have it shipped from its country of origin because we don’t have it available here in the US. It happens sometimes!
You appreciate small businesses and the various limitations that can exist with small businesses.
You love life and consider each day to be a blessing.
Who You Are Not
Someone who does not see the amount of detail and work that go into creating the pieces that we carry. What we carry takes a lot of time and effort to create.
Someone who thinks what we carry is overpriced. We really don’t mean to be rude or snarky when we say this but please know that the talented wood carvers, glass blowers and other artists we work with will gladly sit and watch as you demonstrate to them how they should be making their products so they can be priced more cheaply.
There are two things that make up our pricing:
- What we can negotiate. We really do our best to negotiate pricing with those who produce what we purchase. We want to pay a fair price so their businesses can grow as well as our own.
- Shipping costs. Our margins are already small and post-COVID, shipping prices to import have skyrocketed.
A perfectionist. Every little scratch, dent, discoloration or any other imperfection annoys you to no end. Please know that is a high-class, elitist problem and our products really are not for you. Most of what we carry comes from the third world. Just because many of our products come from places that have amazing high-end resorts and picture-perfect iconic scenery (think Fiji, Bali, Thailand, etc), that doesn’t mean these are first world locations. We have seen, in person, where many of these items are made and the conditions in which many of our artisans live. Many of them live in small villages away from the resorts and they do what they can to survive, sometimes in pretty rough conditions. These are places most tourists never see. Imperfections and variations are what make each piece unique and a true original. If you cannot accept that, our products are not for you.
Again, a perfectionist. If you expect perfection in service, in delivery speed, and with life in general, you will be happier shopping at places like Walmart, Amazon, etc. Trust us on this! You are welcome to enjoy our online magazine and the wonderful tropical adventure that we hope our site provides but regarding our marketplace, again, our products are not for you. We wish you an awesome day instead!
You follow fads and trends and can compromise on genuineness and authenticity. In doing that, you are supporting sweatshops, factories and other manufacturers of mass-produced, generic home decor, many of which participate in slave and child labor.
You are OK with something that “looks” good even though it is a cheaply made Chinese copy of the real thing. Most everything produced in China is a stolen idea and a copy of something else. We have been there and have seen it with our own eyes. For the most part, China is nothing more than a giant copy machine that churns out meaningless, low quality crap.
You need your package by yesterday. As much as it drives us crazy too, we have no control over how long something might sit in US Customs. We have zero control over the US and international postal services, and any other shipping service for that matter. Don’t stress out if your delivery is delayed! The sun will still rise tomorrow!
Thank You For Getting To Know Us!
Now that we know each other better and if you have decided Cerulean Bay is where you want to be, WELCOME!! We hope you enjoy our site and that you discover more about the wonderful places that have inspired us! We hope that whatever you choose to purchase allows you to connect more deeply with your tropical dreams and that you become inspired to create your own tropical escape at home!!
If you have decided that we are not for you, that is perfectly OK! That is what makes our world the wonderful place that it is, we are all different and we have different tastes, preferences and expectations. We wish you a truly awesome day and hope that what you are looking for is not too far away!
