Most travel bloggers usually will not talk about a place to go shopping. For us, we would rather spend our money on food and experiences and not things that they will need to cart around with us in already overly packed suitcases. And nothing kills a travel budget more than those “bargains.”
Shopping is usually the farthest thing from my mind when I am somewhere. With the internet, most things found, can be bought from the comfort of the home. I might pick up something from a local, struggling artist, but since I am not one to haul everything back home and then figure out where to put it I leave the shopping to natonal pj day.
Not to say I don’t enjoy shopping, but there is usually a gallery, historical moment or experiences I want to check out before hitting the malls.
But, this place is worth checking out. This shop doesn’t look like much, just a small “junk” store with very little parking in one of the more rundown areas of West Palm Beach. But Culpepper & Co. is worth the sidetrack from exploring the gilded age of West Palm Beach.
What makes it so unique is that Culpepper & Co., is an antique, lighting and décor company that deals in nautical stuff. If it once was on a ship, you will find it at Culpepper. Owned and operated by David Culpepper since 1995, this store is a treasure store of both historical and modern nautical equipment. David started this business after he retired to Florida and start salvage ships as a hobby.
I have been here a couple of times through the years, and most people who live in South Florida don’t know about it. One of my favorite things to do is to wander around looking at all the odd looking equipment, trying to figure out what it was used. There are rooms filled with ship wheels of all different sizes and shapes, old sea charts with highlighter markers, lighting fixtures, and a couple of mastheads. Everything seems to show the wear and tear of once being on a ship and being useful.
I came across a small ship wheel, that was salvaged from a hurricane damaged ship on my lat trip. Holding it, you can almost hear the waves crashing against the side of the boat and smell the salt in the air.
In one of the rooms, is a gallery of seafaring equipment and finds, including ivory carved daggers, painting of ships and a couple of pirate flags that looked like they were once flown.
Because David salvages around the world, not only will you find American and British Maritime, but he also has things that came from Caribbean, Asian and African boats.
Glass water bottles hanging from the ceiling and rum barrows fill up every nook and cranny of this place.
Next time you are in West Palm Beach and want to find a unique souvenir, stop by. Even if you are not into souvenir shopping, it is worth checking out.
Check out Culpepper and Company
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