The best boutiques for shopping in Nairobi

Nairobi has always been a trading city — long before malls, before Instagram, before the word concept store entered the lexicon. From Maasai beadwork routes to Indian Ocean trade lines, commerce here has never been purely transactional. It has always been cultural.

Today, that legacy plays out across the city in quiet studios, leafy suburbs, adaptive reuse spaces and carefully curated boutiques that foreground African craft, contemporary design and global taste — often all at once.

Unlike cities where shopping districts are neatly clustered, Nairobi’s best boutiques are scattered. You’ll find them tucked into Karen, hidden behind unassuming gates in Lavington, or stacked above cafés in Westlands. The reward is discovery — and a pace that encourages lingering.

Many of these stores sit within easy reach of Karen Plains Hotel, making them ideal for unhurried afternoons between meetings, safaris or long-stay routines. From sculptural homeware and fashion to books, scent and vinyl, here’s where Nairobi shops best.

The best shops in Karen & Lang’ata

Kazuri Beads

Best for: Handmade ceramic jewellery with heritage
Location: Karen

Founded in 1975, Kazuri remains one of Nairobi’s most enduring craft institutions. Each bead is hand-moulded and fired on site, continuing a tradition rooted in ethical employment and meticulous workmanship. The Karen workshop-store offers the widest selection — earthy neutrals, cobalt blues, and statement necklaces that travel well and age beautifully.

Matbronze

Best for: Sculptural African wildlife and modern forms
Location: Lang’ata

Matbronze is synonymous with Kenyan bronze. From small animal figures to museum-scale works, every piece is cast locally using the lost-wax method. The showroom is both gallery and studio — and a reminder that Nairobi’s design language often begins with material mastery.

Tribal Gallery

Best for: Museum-grade African art and artefacts
Location: Karen

More gallery than shop, Tribal Gallery has quietly shaped Nairobi’s art landscape for decades. Expect masks, beadwork, textiles and ethnographic pieces sourced across the continent. Even if you don’t buy, it’s worth visiting for context alone.

The best shops in Westlands

African Heritage Design Centre

Best for: Pan-African furniture, jewellery and artefacts
Location: Westlands

This vast, Aladdin’s-cave-style space brings together craft from across Africa — hand-carved furniture, Tuareg jewellery, Ethiopian baskets and Malian textiles. Pieces skew bold and architectural, ideal for statement interiors rather than souvenirs.

Lulu Kitololo Studio

Best for: Textile-led fashion and graphic storytelling
Location: Westlands

Lulu Kitololo’s work sits at the intersection of fashion, illustration and narrative. Her garments and scarves draw on African history and political symbolism, rendered in striking prints and clean silhouettes. It’s fashion with a point of view — and a distinctly Nairobi sensibility.

Circle Art Gallery

Best for: Contemporary East African art
Location: Westlands

Circle is one of Nairobi’s most respected contemporary galleries, representing artists working across painting, sculpture and mixed media. The space doubles as a cultural barometer — exhibitions often reflect the region’s social and political pulse.

Books, records & culture

Bookstop Ltd

Best for: African literature and hard-to-find titles
Location: Westlands

A longtime favourite among Nairobi’s readers, Bookstop specialises in African writing, politics, history and fiction, alongside a strong international selection. It’s the kind of place where staff recommendations matter — and where you’ll likely leave with more than planned.

Santuri East Africa

Best for: Vinyl, sound archives and experimental music
Location: Westlands

Part label, part research hub, Santuri champions African electronic and experimental music. Their vinyl releases and listening sessions offer a deeper cut of Nairobi’s creative scene — less commercial, more exploratory.

Fashion & concept retail

KikoRomeo

Best for: Contemporary African fashion with global polish
Location: Westlands

KikoRomeo blends tailoring, textiles and craft into wearable, export-ready collections. The aesthetic is modern but rooted — pieces that feel equally at home in Nairobi, London or New York.

Sandstorm Kenya

Best for: Durable leather bags and accessories
Location: Westlands & Karen

Handmade in Kenya using locally sourced leather, Sandstorm’s bags are built for travel — understated, functional and designed to last. A favourite among long-stay guests and frequent flyers alike.

Why shop local while staying at Karen Plains Hotel

Staying longer in Nairobi changes how you shop.

You’re not rushing between attractions. You notice materials. You ask questions. You begin to understand why things are made the way they are.

At Karen Plains Hotel, we encourage guests to explore the city at this pace — between morning coffee, afternoon meetings or a quiet reset before heading out again. Many of these boutiques are within easy reach, making them part of daily life rather than a checklist.

Shopping in Nairobi isn’t about consumption.
It’s about connection — to makers, to stories, to place.

And that’s where the city reveals itself best.