Carribbean Connection

Company Overview

It all began at the corner of 8th Ave South and Third

Back in the Summer of 1990, we wanted to bring to the Jacksonville Beaches area a place where people could not only shop for unique and edgy products, but we also wanted to create a place that someday could become ingrained or woven into the culture of the area we were quickly growing to love. We wanted to create something more than just a retail store. We wanted to create something that would last.

What it means to be young, fiercely individual and to have a smoldering desire to express yourself was what we wanted to pour into our store. From that energy, effort, love, and sweat was born one of the area’s most unique local businesses. As many trends have come and gone and come back again, we have tried to stay true to the roots of those that have inspired us in the beginning, as well as those who enabled us to remain relevant after all these years.

Through the years we have always been searching for new and exciting ways to expand our brand. One example of this dates back to right around the time OJ Simpson was being acquitted (WOW! Remember that?). It was during that year (1995), that we felt a strong need to expand our business to offer World Class tattooing and body piercing. Our loyal customers really embraced the idea of these new art forms, and we loved the ability to give everyone that came through new ways to express themselves through body art and modification.

Before we could blink, three years had passed. Our tattoo and piercing studios had taken off just as a presidential intern named Monica Lewinsky was making news for her refusal to dry clean her party dress (among other things). The year was 1998 and our goals and dreams were really beginning to materialize. The store was growing into a local epicenter for those who needed to find a way to express themselves. Serving the person that wanted to memorialize a lost friend through a tattoo for example was providing us with a great deal of We saw the love our customers had for music through all of the band tees and merchandise we were selling. Becoming Jax Beaches’ exclusive Ticketmaster location that year made us as well as our customers very excited.

We watched with pride and enthusiasm as the great people of our region lined up outside our front door for blocks every Saturday to pick up their tickets for major shows, such as Green Day, Elton John, Billy Joel, Britney Spears, N’Sync, Plant & Page, and so many more. The diversity in the acts whose tickets we were selling mirrored the diversity of our store.

As tattooing, piercing, and ticket sales were satisfying our customers’ cravings for self expression, we discovered that when it came to fashion, they wanted more than just band tees and music inspired merchandise. It was then that we began to establish partnerships with some of the apparel industries most stylish brands. While there have been so many hot, trendsetting brands that Carribbean Connection has carried over the years, we currently value the ability to provide esteemed brands to our customers such as Vans, Obey, Ray-Ban, and Stance…just to name a few.

At Carribbean Connection, you will find a passion for music, film, art and pop culture in our entire team and in everything we do. Nothing makes us happier than sharing in the passion and enthusiasm our loyal customers show as they come to us looking for new ways to express themselves.