The Quest for the Specific: Finding Art Supplies and Keto Flour in a Land of Tequila and Tacos
If you need a sombrero, a bottle of tequila in the shape of a gun, or a t-shirt that says "One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor," Cancun has you covered. You can probably find those items within thirty seconds of walking out your front door.
But what if you need a specific tube of Winsor & Newton oil paint? Or a bag of Lupin flour for a Keto recipe?
Suddenly, you aren't in a consumer paradise anymore. You are in a scavenger hunt.
One of the defining traits of the "Digital Monarch Butterfly" lifestyle—living in two places—is the sudden realization that your hobbies and habits don't neatly pack into a carry-on. When I’m in Canada, I take for granted that I can drive ten minutes to get a canvas or order specialized electronics that arrive the next day. When I’m in Mexico, I have to get creative.
Here is the reality of trying to buy "boring" niche items in a city built for exciting vacations.
The place to find art supplies in Cancun
1. The Local Gem (The Brick & Mortar Hunt)
For a long time, I assumed that finding quality art supplies in Cancun would be impossible. The big box stores here are great for general stationery, but if you are looking for good quality oil paints, the selection is usually pretty sad.
Then, I found La Tinta del Calamar.
While not in the Hotel Zone (where tourists roam), it’s right in the heart of Centro, just across the road from Plaza Las Americas. It’s accessible, but definitely a spot for locals rather than souvenir hunters. It is small, but the variety is fantastic. It’s the kind of place that feels like an oasis when you’ve spent weeks looking for a specific brush or medium.
If you are a creative in Cancun, give them a visit. It’s a reminder that real people live here, create art here, and—thankfully—sell supplies here. You can check them out at latintadelcalamar.com.
2. The Online Jungle: Amazon.mx and Mercado Libre
"Just order it on Amazon," my friends back home say.
Well, yes. But also, no.
Amazon Mexico and Mercado Libre have become incredible resources in the last few years. The selection is getting better every day. The problem isn't usually buying the item; it's receiving it.
When we lived in a privada (a gated community with security), receiving packages was pure gold. The guards at the gatehouse would sign for everything, and I’d just pick it up on my way in. It was effortless.
Now that we are in a building without a concierge or gatehouse, the game has changed.
If you don't have that front-desk layer, you face the "Invisible House" phenomenon. Many buildings here don't have clearly visible street numbers. I have spent hours refining my delivery instructions, adding notes like "Blue building, black gate, next to the Oxxo, please call me, I am waving from the balcony."
And unlike in the north, where they might drop a package and leave, here you generally need to be present to receive it. This turns a delivery day into a house-arrest day. You stay home, afraid to hop in the shower, jumping at every motorcycle noise outside, hoping it’s your package and not just an Uber Eats driver for the neighbors.
3. The "Mule" System (AKA: Friends with Suitcases)
When local stores fail and Amazon can’t find your door, you turn to the oldest import/export method in human history: The Mule.
We have a steady stream of friends and family visiting us from Canada and the US. Most of them are kind enough to ask, "Do you need us to bring anything down?"
This is the Gold Standard of shipping. It’s fast, free, and (usually) reliable. But it has limits.
I paint with oils, which requires solvents. Trying to ask a friend to pack a liter of Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits) in their checked luggage is a non-starter. You can't fly with flammables, and explaining to airport security that "it's technically not paint thinner" is a conversation nobody wants to have. (BTW - La Tinta del Calamar does special orders. That’s how I got my Gamsol in Cancun)
But for dry goods? The Mule system is unbeatable. Although, it can lead to some tense moments.
My wife, Ally, eats a Keto diet. There is a specific ingredient she loves for baking called Lupin Flour. It’s incredibly hard to find in Quintana Roo. So, before a recent visit, we asked some friends if they could bring a supply.
They were happy to help. They bought a large bag, packed it in their suitcase, and headed for the airport.
It was only when they were standing in the customs line in Cancun that the realization hit them: They were two foreigners entering Mexico with a kilo of fine white powder in a bag tucked into their luggage.
"Honestly officer, it's Lupin flour!" is a sentence you ideally never want to say to a drug-sniffing dog handler.
Thankfully, they made it through without incident (and the Keto baking was delicious), but it was a good lesson: always keep the original packaging!
To be clear - this is a suitcase of vacuum sealed bread flour! Good bread flour is also hard to find in Cancun.
Incidentally, if you see a dog with a customs official walking around the luggage receiving area - that dog isn’t mainly there looking for drugs. They are actually checking for certain foods. One day this woman was shocked when the dog jumped up and bit her backpack, then sat right beside her. After a quick search the official confiscated her bananas! We were all thinking something crazy was going to go down. Instead someone learned not to bring bananas to Mexico. Not the most valuable life lesson, but one she won’t forget.
The Trade-Off
This is the "boring" side of living in paradise that the travel brochures don't mention. You trade convenience for climate. You trade next-day delivery for year-round diving.
It takes a little more work to live your "normal" life here. You have to hunt for your paints, camp out for your deliveries, and occasionally make your friends look like smugglers.
But when I’m sitting on the terrace, painting the sky with that tube of blue I spent three days finding, I can confirm: it’s absolutely worth it.
