Utamaduni – cool crafts and a cafe in Karen
My husband often tells me I have my head in the clouds and usually I scoff at him. What he takes for ditziness is clearly my cerebral superiority at work. However, this morning I had reason to think he may be right.
The realisation that I’m mad
I’ve heard about Utamaduni for a while now but for some reason I thought it was in town. I don’t know why. I’m bonkers for sure. For the same length of time that I’ve been pondering a trip into the city to visit Utamaduni, I’ve been driving past a sign at some shops called Utamaduni. FOUR times a day on the way to school. It was only today that I put two and two together and realised it was the same place. See I told you absolutely bonkers.
Once I figured that the cool, crafty looking place I’d read about was in my own sweet Karen I did a handbrake turn and headed my way straight there.
Fortunately, I arrived at the same time as a busload of American tourists. This was great as I could have a little sneak about incognito and really sus out the place.
Shop local artisans under one roof
Created by British Anthropologist, Richard Leakey, Utamaduni is a collectionof local artisans who have come together in one place to sell their items. Within the spacious grounds of an old Kikuyu house is a lovely little leafy café with a kids playground and 18 shops all jostling for space in a exquisite property bursting with colour.
The unique selection of shops have a vast collection of items for sale. The products seemed to be of higher than average quality and sold for a very reasonable price. The best thing about Utamaduni is that there is no hassle, no bargaining and no bartering. I spent longer looking at crafts in this shop than I have anywhere else in Nairobi, because it’s the only place I’ve been where nobody hassled me. I was free to mosey and meander for as long as I wanted with absolutely nobody saying anything. It was a breath of fresh air.
The shops include those selling:
- Antique jewellery and objects
- Kisii Soapstone
- Khangas, Kikoys and clothing made from both
- Beaded everything: plates, glasses, coaster, jewellery, wall hanging – you name it some industrious Maasai has beaded it
- African book & map shop
- Kiondos (Kenyan baskets)
- Local foodstuff
- Leather bags & belts
- Wooden bowls and figurines
- Kids clothing, toys and books
A shop for tourists and locals
Utamaduni seems to be touting itself as a stop on the tourist trail rather than trying to appeal to locals. It’s a sensible strategy. Most people who come to Nairobi make a visit to the Giraffe Centre and Elephant Orphanage, and Utamaduni is ideally located as part of this day trip. But it’s also a great little shop for locals. OK, I guess once you’ve lived here a few years you may have all the wooden carvings and Kikoy bathrobes you need, but a girl always has space in her house for more jewellery, right? There are some
really lovely original items that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I’ve literally got the shivers over these sand dollars earrings (just putting it out there in case the hubs wants any ideas for Christmas presents).
Antiques and Oddities
Peppered around the store were antiques and oddities from all over Africa. A rare stone solitaire set from Madagascar, Ethiopian jewelery, Kisii soapstone, tribal headdresses. Not your usual ‘craft market’ run of the mill stuff but rarer, hard to find items mixed in with tourist souveniers.
Cafe and kids playground
I didn’t try the café, being on my own, but the menu looked extensive. The cafe was very sweet with a lovely flower filled garden and pretty lanterns surrounding a pizza oven. There was a kids jungle gym and a big trampoline…a great place for a bite to eat or just a morning coffee. I will go soon and report back. For other great places to go with kids in Karen check out my previous blog.
Buy online
Utamaduni have an online store. So if you don’t live in the area then you can sample some of the delights for yourself. The prices were very reasonable. In fact most of the items were cheaper than I was expecting which leads me to suspect I’ve been played for a fool in craft markets all over Kenya. You live and learn. I’ll be taking friends and family here for souveniers in future, that’s for sure.
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