Have You Tried the Mini Tienda on Back Street?

On Back Street San Pedro, there is a little store that you may not have noticed. A corner shop, it’s painted blue and has large rolls of shiny vinyl hanging outside (locally called “marley”) and often plastics on display – like buckets, mops and containers. But you might just pass it by if you didn’t know that this shop – called Mini Tienda Katherin – is a treasure trove. Especially when you just can’t find that one thing…anywhere on the island.

Mini Tienda on Back Street

It was first recommended to me about 15 years ago, when I wanted to mend my ripped shorts and I could not buy a sewing needle anywhere. No, I don’t want a $20bzd sewing kit…I want a needle…or a few needles. And then a few years later when I was looking for new bandanas (aka sweat rags)…

Have you tried the Mini Tienda? someone asked. The first time I didn’t even know what they were referring to.

Bandanas store
Success!

Here it is. On Back Street across from the Comex Paint Store. They have been here for 25 years!

Photo yesterday – I’m not sure what happened to the sign!

Let’s look inside. I’ll try to scratch the surface on what they have to offer. I did ask: What do you sell the most of? And the answer is Kitchen Supplies.

Note: They also have this shop located across from Atlantic Bank on Middle Street. The front is souvenirs but in the back…all the stuff!

Middle Street Shop
Beads in the front souvenir section…I wonder if they would let me make my own necklace…
Into the back…

Do you need…

this for Laundry or to be in a junk yard band?
Buttons for mending or crafts…
Trash cans and plastic flower pots
One million colors of thread…
EVERY household has a comal for making tortillas
Everything is tightly packed but clean and neat

We go there for plates and glassware. We went yesterday for 8 glasses and 10 mugs. Between the 2 shops, we got them all.

Glassware

I found my favorite Guatemalan unguent. This cures everything…every infection, every ringworm, everything. FAST. On human or pet.

Clotriplex unguent cures all
Do you need tailors chalk…YELLOW shoe polish? Pins, hooks, sewing stuff

Oh…also, when you go in, you might find that the shop owner doesn’t speak much English. And I don’t speak much Spanish (despite the fact that I’m on day 656 of Duolingo)

It’s ok…and always surprising to me that with some slow pronunciation, patience, and some charades – how much can be communicated. Quiero…a button?

And then I stumbled upon this section with good luck in love candles…and good luck in finance lotions…

Fast DOUBLE luck

Good luck in…client calls? I mean…ok.

Client call candle
The back of the candle…fear not, I ran it thru a translate app
Clearly not a very good translation app but you get the picture

I bought a candle myself…and will let you know how it turns out. It might be the best $10bzd I’ve ever spent.

It’s burning now…
I love the little hand washing station outside – it’s very thoughtful
And the spices/medicines that I need to look up

I left with my cream and my candle and during my 10 mins inside – poking around and asking 1 million questions – about 5 people came and went. This spot is cramped and the ceilings are barely high enough for me to walk without stooping (though I do need to bend to get in the front door) but it’s pretty awesome. And fascinating. And the prices can’t be beat.

Let me know what you buy in the mini tienda 🙂

Posted in:

15 Comments

  1. Jess on January 22nd, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    ph man i have to visit that shop…that’s nostalgia for belizeans abroad lol I want the scrub board and the large comal

    • San Pedro Scoop on January 23rd, 2025 at 8:58 am

      I bet! The scrub board is so cool looking! I’ve never used one before.

  2. Karen Thompson on January 22nd, 2025 at 12:38 pm

    I love this tienda. The family is from Guatemala ( correct me if I’m wrong). Over the past 25 years, I have bought every mop, broom, plastic buckets, plastic stools, nail clippers, special Guatemala tea, and the list goes on.
    My one and only choice.
    KT
    Miramar Villas

    • San Pedro Scoop on January 23rd, 2025 at 8:58 am

      Special Guatemalan tea! That sounds intriguing!

  3. MRG on January 22nd, 2025 at 3:09 pm

    Been by many times, we will add it to our list of places

  4. Sandy on January 22nd, 2025 at 4:59 pm

    I need this store!! I saw a bucket that I’ve been wishing for in one of your pics! Thank you!

  5. David Martin on January 22nd, 2025 at 10:35 pm

    Holy Moly! – what a terrific find Mini Tienda is – even though that shelf of button jars looks like my freeze dried collection of fruits & veggies. And LMAO – that’s Jeff wearing his Pentennial Pair o’Shorts, right? Movin’ on – I bet a comal is one of those items Expats didn’t realize they needed to ‘fit in’ before leaving home. Oh, wait a minute: English/Spanish communication? Please tell me you’re aware of Google Instant Translate? So far (in California), it’s been really helpful with my gardner and hotel maids…

    • San Pedro Scoop on January 23rd, 2025 at 8:56 am

      I feel weird doing it with my phone in the shop…though i sometimes pre-game before I go in. A word I don’t know. But we make it work 🙂

  6. Lynn on January 22nd, 2025 at 11:21 pm

    Any idea if this store would have a gas can? We want to have extra gas with us as we are staying 10k up the island (Sapphire Resort) in a few weeks! Can’t wait!

    • San Pedro Scoop on January 23rd, 2025 at 8:55 am

      I’d go to a big hardware store for that – I don’t think they would have here. They are annoyingly expensive to me. (I think they should cost $15 tho)

  7. Clair Payne on January 23rd, 2025 at 7:15 am

    Will be there in mid February – please give me the name of your mosquito lotion (spray). I know this is not the bug season but I am highly allergic to bites – been coming to San Pedro off and on for the last 25 years and love the town and people.

    • San Pedro Scoop on January 23rd, 2025 at 8:55 am

      Oh my goodness – it’s in my Amazon store but it’s Sawyer Picaridin. Lotion is light and lovely and long lasting but spray is great too. https://www.amazon.com/shop/sanpedroscoop

  8. Metamask Chrome on January 25th, 2025 at 4:48 pm

    The Metamask extension has truly revolutionized how I manage my crypto wallets. If you’re looking to securely handle your funds, definitely check out https://metamenu.org/ for an easy guide!

  9. Emily Smith on January 26th, 2025 at 5:42 pm

    I remember this place for sure! I think we only were in there once and can’t remember what for. Those candles are pretty funny!

  10. MetaMask Download on February 11th, 2025 at 5:55 pm

    I wanted to download Metamask safely, and https://metamaker.org/#metamask-download helped me do just that. Their guide is detailed and straightforward.

Leave a Comment