Behind every great man, there is a story. The owner of Le Select, the St Barths bar and grill that singer Jimmy Buffett immortalized in his song, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, is no exception. Marius Stackelborough was the descendant of slaves. He was born into poverty. He was also born a black man on a poor white island in the days when black meant untouchable. Hard thing to be, when you love people as much as Marius.
As a young man growing up on an island where food and jobs were scarce, if the present looked uncertain, the future looked even bleaker. The men of St Barts were pushed toward adventure by necessity. Shipping and inter-island ocean commerce provided salaries and as importantly, a ticket to opportunities that didn’t exist at home. Like many of his contemporaries, Marius, too, became a seaman and sailor. His life at sea taught him many things. It introduced him to the other islands of the Caribbean. It taught him to spot opportunity and pretty women. And, it taught him the undying value of friendship. Marius moved to St. Thomas, the neighboring US Virgin Island and like fellow ex-pats, took advantage of the job market to rack up jobs and send money back to family in St. Barths. By day, Marius had a gardening job. By night, he served tour duty for the National Guard.
By 1949, Marius was back in St. Barths, this time, with a wife and child to feed. To make money, he converted a room of his family’s small Gustavia rental home (located on the main street where l’Entr’acte restaurant stands today) and added a few tables and chairs outside. It was a simple set-up. Marius had no liquor license. But, patrons could cool their heels as they chatted and enjoyed the sunset on the harbor. That was the start of Le Select. Every night, Marius would take his place at the bar, exercising his ingenuity and skill for creating community and bringing people together. Le Select was holding its own, but it wasn’t paying all the bills, so the ever resourceful Marius job-stacked. Again. In the morning, meteoroligst Marius would take readings for the national weather center. In the afternoon and evening, bar and grill owner Marius manned the bar. Le Select became a reflection of its chameleon owner, and doubled as the island’s first bookstore, where Marius the photographer and filmmaker would provide his services. The first St. Barths postcards? Marius. First record player in St. Barths? Marius.
Somewhere along the line, Marius discovered his other passion: St. Barth’s Swedish history. To him, St Barths history as a Swedish colony was not a historical footnote. It was an invitation to revitalize ties between two cultures. Well-traveled, Marius had been to Scandinavia and made friends there. Those friendships spurred him to create a foundation wherein St. Barths and Swedes alike could celebrate and explore their common heritage. Marius was decorated by Swedish monarch Carl Gustav, who came, in 1986, with his wife, the Queen Sylvia, to visit Marius on the island he so loved and honor his humanitarian efforts.
Marius, now 86, went from pauper to philanthropist, from untouchable to the holder of several civic distinctions and honors. This young Gustavia boy who used to deliver bread in the St Barths ‘countryside’ for a few pennies created one of the island’s most beloved businesses. Marius’ success is in every way the product of his vision, tenacity and hard work. His friendships, spanning decades and continents, are all spun with his infectious and seemingly endless supply of simplicity, love and respect.
If you plan to be in St. Barths from November 6-8, you’ll notice more people on island than usual. More traffic, longer lines…Not to worry, these are Marius’ people, the ones who have flown in from all over the world to tell this man how unique and precious he is. Whether you’re on the other side of the ocean or right here, having a cheeseburger in Paradise to celebrate Le Select’s 60th anniversary, tip your hat to Marius, its brilliant founder.
Marius Stackelborough at Le Select (Photo copyright : Joachim Wall from A Man, An Island, A Life, a book by Ingrid and Joachim Wall)
Yves Bourel Realty - St. Barths Real Estate 