So… it seems you didn’t have much to say about clothing stores in your East African city, or maybe you just couldn’t settle on a favorite one. Given that most women (at the very least) enjoy shopping, this should have come as a bit of a surprise to me. Frankly, I wasn’t very surprised. If you my readers are anything like most of the East African residents that I know in person, then…well, you don’t really do most of your clothes shopping in stores locally. Am I right? Continue reading
I’ll just come right out and say it: I am not one of those women who love to shop. Yes, I like having new duds, but the process of acquiring them is often more tedious than I’d like. First, there’s the matter of finding a store which stocks apparel that I care for. Then, there’s the whole issue of finding the right size which–when you have a Western Ugandan figure like mine with a bottom half that’s a different size from your top half–can prove to be a real feat. Then, there’s trying things on. With most stores in East Africa not having a refund or return policy, who wants to be stuck with something that doesn’t fit or that just plain isn’t flattering? Continue reading
Happy Friday! I hope your work week ended well and that you are all set to have a rocking weekend! Now that we’ve had that break I promised, it’s time to get back to our series. This week, I’d like to know more about buying groceries in your city. Continue reading
Photo Credit: simbadeo.wordpress.com
I first became aware of Congo Street in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam on a shopping trip with my Mom, who was looking for granite slabs for her new kitchen countertop. Luckily, on that first foray into hectic Kariakoo (Wikipedia link), I was pleasantly shielded from the chaos because I was in an air-conditioned car. I really wasn’t paying attention for the most part – my main goal that day was to hang out with my Mom – but when we passed a street with hot clothes hanging from every storefront, my attention was aroused. Continue reading
Mlimani City Mall
Sam Nujoma Rd.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
According to the plaque at its main entrance, Dar es Salaam’s Mlimani City Mall turned 3 years old last Saturday (Nov.14). Happy Belated Birthday, Mlimani City – this one is for you!
For those of you who have never heard of Mlimani City, allow me to tell you simply that it is the mall in Dar es Salaam. Although Dar es Salaam has many other shopping centers, none other can truly be elevated to the status of a mall. Housed all on one floor, Mlimani City Mall is smaller than many other malls found in neighboring countries, such as The Village Market in Kenya or Garden City in Uganda, but still, this mall packs a punch!
Allow me to give you an idea of what can be found at Mlimani City. Continue reading
I can still remember the day when I first became aware of Mr Price’s existence. The year was 2007; I was driving along Ngong Road in Nairobi near Prestige Plaza. I looked up to see a huge banner announcing the opening of a home furnishing store called Mr. Price Home at the Westgate Centre in Westlands. I found the idea of a home furnishing store interesting and made a mental note to check out the store the next time I was in its vicinity. Continue reading
I’ve been told by some people close to me, recently, that I am rigid. The first time I heard this, I was shocked and sure that the person I was talking to had it all wrong. On second thought, though, I see where these people could be coming from. About certain things in my life, I see no compelling reason to compromise (at least not for the most part) and so, in these areas, I stick to running my life exactly as I see fit. One such area of my life is sleep. Continue reading
My mother often half-jokingly says that I eat toilet paper and drink perfume. That’s in reference to how fast I use up each of these items. Let’s leave the first item alone for now (toilet paper might one day be the subject of a post because here too, I have advice to offer about what brands to use - Eurosilk anyone?) and focus on the second item, perfume. Well, not really perfume itself, rather I’d like to talk about where to purchase perfume, in Nairobi. Continue reading
It’s been over a year since Nakumatt turned Nakumatt Ukay into a 24-hour facility. 24-hour shopping has become quite normal in Nairobi with Nakumatt Downtown and Nakumatt Ngong Road both also having become 24-hour facilities in the recent past. How has the phenomenon of round-the-clock supermarket availability affected your life during the course of the past year? Continue reading
Yaya Centre
Argwings Kodhek Rd., Kilimani
Tel: +254 (20) 2713360/1
Email: info@yaya.co.ke
Website:www.yaya-centre.co.ke
When I first saw Yaya Centre‘s new slogan a couple of years ago, I thought: How pompous! No, there really is reason to go elsewhere. That was back when the revamping of the Yaya Centre had just begun, and Yaya’s greatest claim to fame, at the time, was that it had been one of Nairobi‘s first shopping malls. A couple of years later, I see where Yaya Centre was coming from with its slogan – Y go anywhere else?. I guess the management at Yaya Centre already knew what Yaya was about to become though it took us, its customers, a little longer to find out. Continue reading