Crafts and MarketsUnless you’re after certain antique sculptures, masks and xylophones, you would have a hard time matching these prices by bargaining anywhere else. And probably a lot more hassle.
The Maasai Market is also held every Tuesday near Kijabe Street, Downtown Nairobi. (It has been moved recently because of a new highway that is being build through the city. Will keep you posted on the final location) Prices are good, but you’ve got to bargain HARD! The selection of jewelery, baskets, textiles, carvings and other artifacts is excellent and huge. For traditional fabrics and cloths such as kikois and kangas, there are a good assortments of shops along Biashara Street to go browse and explore in. Haria’s Stamp Shop, which is one of them, has an excellent and very reasonable priced range (KSH200-600). Kariokor Market is a huge open-air market where you can find everything from traditional fabrics and souvenirs to food items such as vegetables, fish, fruit etc. At lunchtime you will find many local workers from the area, who are taking advantage of the many affordable and good eateries. Worth a try. Be careful and advised that when visiting any of these busy markets, to better leave all your valuables at the hotel and to watch for thief's at all times and keep your backpack close to you (best in front). Nairobi has also a number of craft shops or community craft centers, which have charitable status, and/or associated with development or self-help projects. They can be sometimes a bit expensive and most of the time you can not really bargaining, but they often have unusual and unique items, that make great gifts and souvenirs. Some of them will require a little drive out of town, but definitely worth the special journey for a visit. Some of them have wonderful cute little restaurants tucked away to relax in after the shopping and to escape the hustle of the city for a short while. It is a little on the expensive side but it is a great place for presents and last minute shopping to bring gifts home to friends. It supports self-help groups that create wonderful crafts in skillful, naturally based packaging. If you like recycle glass art, this is the place to check out! The colors mainly used are dark blue and aquamarine. Especially the drinking glasses are wonderful! The factory is close to Nairobi and you can go for visits easily. There are eighteen individual craft shops in one large beautiful old villa, which was opened by Richard Leakey in 1991 (a portion of the profit go to the Kenya Wildlife Service). It has everything you might want, most of it is made right there on the premises or from street-kid projects; quality and prices are on the high side. The attached Verandah restaurant is a wonderful place to sit & relax! Absolutely worth the drive! - An option to a taxi is to take the bus/matatu #24 A large shop selling a lot of good stuff – crafts, textiles, woolen goods and jewelery, much of it made by self-help groups and individuals, including Meru’s Makena Textile Workshop. Single mothers from the Kibera slum, using local wool, cotton and plant dyes, supply this 'rug gallery' with a variety of different woven rugs. Kazuri, (small and beautiful), works with nearly a hundred formerly impoverished women, that create an extraordinary variety of handmade jewelery and beads, mainly from ceramic. Bold and colorful designs present the culture and wildlife of Kenya.The stuff is expensive, but very lovely. You can watch the whole process when you go for a visit.There are retail outlets at Village Market, Limuru Rd, Westlands, and the Junction Shopping Centre, Ngong Rd. This studio sells the usual stuff like paintings, beaded and leather items. It also has a bit of unusual crafts, which is made from recycled plastic flip-flops, including sculptures and jewelery. There is a cafe and kids will have a chance to use the playground. One Way produces a range of high-quality products made from kikoy fabrics. It including clothing like pants, shorts & skirts, sarongs, table cloths, beach bags and t-shirts. They have several branches in Nairobi including the Sarit Centre and YaYa Centre, and most recently the new Westgate Center. New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
Village Market is a very nice place to go shopping, meet up with people/friends, go for lunch and visit the Maasai Market, which is held every Friday on the roof of the mall. It also has a wonderful bookstores and one of the best places in town to get some fantastic, fresh, delicious 'gelato' (ice-cream)!Come join 'Discovering Kenya' e-zine, to start exploring and planing Your dream vacation and great adventure to Kenya with us!
