It’s back-to-school season and parents are struggling with loooooong shopping lists that are not too friendly on their pockets. Textbooks especially, cost a fortune. But there are alternatives out there.
I’ll take you through the streets of Nairobi to
the online stores just to cover all the best places to get both used and new
books.
Second-hand textbooks can be found all over the city and you
can even exchange your kids’ books for others. Here’s where to get them: Jiji
and roadside vendors.
A great place to get cheap used books and where I get the
majority of my collection are from street vendors. The books may not be in the
best shape but they still do the job and are easy on my wallet. Here are some
of my favorite spots.
Outside Tusky’s Commercial along Tom Mboya Street
I highly recommend this place especially if you are looking for those floppy
paperbacks. The price is usually 100/= but on some days they
can go as low as 50/=
All along Tom Mboya Street, you will find multiple street vendors who have a
vast array of quality titles.
Muindi Mbingu St, Nairobi City. Outside School
Outfitters
They predominantly sell hardcovers and in pretty good condition. This is where
I bought the majority of my Harry Potter editions. The price range is usually
300/= but they usually have a clearance sale for 100/=
Kimathi St, Nairobi City or Nation Center. Near
Ibiza Hotel
I generally prefer buying books through street vendors
because it somehow feels like an adventure you never know what you are going
come across. Yes, sometimes I come out empty handed but on those magical days,
I find some really amazing titles.
Pro Tip: The Street Vendors usually stock up new books on
Friday so that’s the best time to go if you want to successfully find good
books. I would recommend befriending the vendor and leave your contact info to
get an alert when new books arrive.
Chain Bookstores for New Books
If you are willing to spend a bit of money to acquire new fresh books then you
should check out these places.
Here are currently the Top 20 Leading Bookshops in Nairobi
Albert Einstein once
said that ‘ The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the
library’. Bookstores have always seemed to me like smaller versions of
libraries that give you a chance to not just borrow but actually get yourself a
copy of that novel or book you’ve been eyeing for a while. Growing up, I always
acted like a kid at a candy store while in bookshops because I loved to read
and loved when they restocked the latest copies of my favourite novels.
The smell of new
books is nostalgic to me and takes me back to a time when my favourite books
were Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. My taste has definitely grown and matured
over the years but bookstores are still one of my favourite places to spend a
Saturday. More recently, we have seen bookstores have cafe sections which is
amazing if you ask me. Purchasing books is definitely a guilty pleasure for me
and the most exciting part of my month is finding out our chosen book for my
book club.
The city of Nairobi
is endowed with a myriad of bookstores that provide a haven for book lovers,
knowledge enthusiasts, and learners. A lover of all things literature will
definitely find this list quite handy. Listed below are some of my chosen
favourite bookstores in Nairobi;
1. Textbook Center.
Textbook
Centre is one of the most frequented bookstores in Kenya with its
store having numerous branches across Nairobi and its environs. They are
reliable and have almost all your needs. They aslo take special order requests
and contact you when your order arrives. The Textbook Centre branches
are located in Thika Road Mall, Junction Mall, Two Rivers Mall, The Hub Karen,
Village Market, Garden City Mall, and their famous Flagship Store at Sarit
Centre. Textbook
Centre stocks a wide range of products including office supplies,
stationery, I.T supplies, and a vast collection of books.
Textbook
Centre bookstores are well-spaced, organized to ensure time-saving,
and eased manoeuvring around the store by customers. The staff are very helpful
and knowlegeable on the stock available and are highly commendable at the great
customer service they offer at all their stores. Textbook Centre have
a simple interface website for all their customers which gives them a chance to
order their book(s) of choice with just a few clicks from the comfort of your
home.
Textbook
Centre prides itself in stocking African books by various African
writers to promote and support African literature, therefore, making it the
best go-to store for that African novel you have been eyeing or longing to
read.
2. Prestige Bookshop.
Prestige
Bookshop is located in Prudential Building on Mama Ngina Street and
they also have a branch in Lavington Mall. If you having trouble finding a rare
book, Prestige
Bookshop is the one reliable bookstore that has a wide collection of
books that most people dim rare to find in local bookstores within Nairobi and
its environs. Prestige
Bookshop will leave you spoilt for choice as it is known to stock a
wide collection of Kenyan and African literature.
Prestige
Bookshop also has a good ambience and not to forget, an online
catalogue that gives you a chance to purchase their books online. Prestige
Bookshop accompanies all customer purchases with their famous long-lasting
trademark Prestige Bookshop bookmarks, therefore, giving their customers a
reason to come back again and again.
3. Savanis
Bookshop.
Savani’s Book Centre Ltd, commonly known as Savani’s Bookshop, is
one of the most established bookstores and leading booksellers in Nairobi with
their store strategically located on the ground floor of the Savani’s Book Centre Building
along Lagos/Latema road.
Savani’s bookshop has
affordable and reasonable prices with a variety of school books ranging from
children’s books to higher learning books(medical and technical books),
stationery and art supplies including oil paints, art stationery, and acrylic
paints. Their endless fully packed shelves give their customers a wide range of
books to choose from. Savani’s
bookshop, however, has no online store and only deal in in-store purchases.
4. UNES Bookstore.
UNES bookstore which in full stands for University of
Nairobi Enterprises & Services Limited is a great bookstore located in the
University of Nairobi. The store deals in books, stationery, electronic devices
such as laptops and Ipads and even uniforms. It would surprise many to know
that despite its location in a higher learning institution, the UNES Bookstore stocks
not only have a university and higher learning education book collection but
also stocks up textbooks from primary school and secondary schools.
Prices at UNES Bookstore are
quite reasonable and also offer gift vouchers for people who are instead
interested in gifting a book-lover rather than purchasing themselves. UNES Bookstore also
offers item branding and have an online store for customers who would prefer an
online purchase option.
5. Keswick Books and Gifts.
Keswick
Books and Gifts is a Christian Bookstore with various branches around
Nairobi. These branches include stores in Bruce House, Kanda Street, Parklands,
Sarit Centre, Prestige Plaza, and Ngong Road. Keswick Books and Gifts stocks
a wide collection of books including Theology books, Motivational, Fictional,
Christian living books and guides, children’s literature and so much more.
Keswick
Books and Gifts majorly promotes biblically and socially relevant
Christian literature with their books available both in-store and on their
Keswick online website where they give same-day deliveries for customers within
Nairobi. Their gift shop options include mugs, keyrings, journals, travel mugs
with inspirational quotes, and more also available on their online catalogue.
6. Bookstop Limited.
Bookstop Limited is considered Nairobi’s premier bookshop
and is located on the second floor of Yaya Centre in Nairobi. This
bookstore retails a huge collection of books that caters for all age ranges and
all aspects of life including religion, fitness, social, economic and
educational books too. Their best seller options and most of the popular books
are available both in-store and online at the Bookstop Ltd website.
In the case where a customer might fail to get a book of
their choice, Bookshop Limited takes it upon themselves to ship in the book(s)
for their customers. The store has a beautiful set-up and good shelf
arrangement by genre and alphabetically. Customers return time and time again
for a carefully curated range of titles and their ever-friendly staff.
Second-hand books are also available at affordable prices at Bookstop Limited.
7. EXCEL BOOKSHOP &
UNIFORMS-UTAWALA
Excel
Bookshop & Uniforms-Utawala is located in Utawala Centre off
Eastern Bypass a few metres from the Kincar stage. Excel Bookshop stocks
a wide variety of school books, stationery, school bags, and school uniforms at
their store. They sell their products at affordable prices and give great
customer discounts. Excel Bookshop has
great customer services and gives in-store dressing options to customers
purchasing uniforms. the store also offers free book labeling at their store.
8. Chania Bookshop.
Chania
Bookshop is strategically located along Moi Avenue at the Tumaini
House ground floor, therefore, making it one of the great one-stop shops for
stationery and book purchases in Nairobi. Chania Bookshop is
always well-stocked and their books sell at fair prices. Chania Bookshop is
especially a favourite for parents and guardians hoping to purchase primary and
secondary school books since they always stock a wide array of school books
from different publishers giving their customers spoilt for choice.
Chania
Bookshop also deals in the sale of school uniforms too making the
back-to-school hustle a bit less hectic since customers get to do most of their
purchases in one store.
9. Locus Bookshop.
Locus
Bookshop is conveniently located along Ngariama Lane, Nairobi making
it the ideal bookstore to do your school shopping for stationery and
schoolbooks. The small, independent, and busy bookstore stocks books ranging
from children’s books to adult literature and Christian books. Locus Bookshop also
offers great customer discounts as well as periodic sales on their items.
10. CLC Christian
Bookline.
CLC
Christian Bookshop is part of an international mission organization
that aims at making Christian literature available to all nations. the CLC Christian
Bookshop is located in Hurlingham Park along Argwings Kodhek Road.
The Christian bookstore devoted to spreading the word of God
does this through the sale of Bibles, Christian literature, and also gift
items. If you are looking to be inspired or inspire someone through a religious
book or two, CLC
Christian Bookshop would be the perfect place to pop into.
11. Educate Yourself Ltd.
Educate
Yourself Ltd is a well-stocked bookshop situated at location A2 in
Westgate Shopping Mall, Nairobi city. This store is really big on selections
offering a wide array of books to choose from. The book collection at Educate Yourself
Ltd ranges from fictional, non-fiction, children’s books to school
textbooks.
The staff at Educate Yourself Ltd is
helpful and always willing to offer extensive recommendations. The bookstore
has partnered with both local and international publishers to ensure they
provide an extensive variety of books for their customers. Educate Yourself Ltd is
a merchant for international suppliers such as Pearson Education, Harper
Collins, McGraw Hill Education among others.
12. Chaka Bookshop.
Chaka
Bookshop is an in-store shopping and pick-up bookstore located on
Cross Road, Nairobi. Although Chaka Bookshop is
small and slightly cramped up, the store is well-stocked with a great
collection of books that customers can choose from.
Chaka
Bookshop especially gets busy when schools re-open with shoppers
looking to get in their last-minute back-to-school shopping. Chaka Bookshop offers
a good range of books, uniforms, and stationery at pocket-friendly prices.
13. Avenue Bookshop.
Avenue
Bookshop is located at Leone House along Ronald Ngala Street. Avenue Bookshop is
not overly small but also not as large as chain stores. Avenue Bookshop is
well-stocked and always provides a great variety for customers to choose from
due to its convenient location near Ronald Ngala junction on Tom Mboya
14. New Day Bookshop Limited.
New
Day Bookshop is located on the first floor of Yaya Centre on Argwings
Kodhek Road. This bookstore is majorly a Christian bookshop that stocks not
only great Christian literature but also gifts, cards, music CDs among other
products.
15. Pals Bookshop.
Pals
Bookshop is located in Diamond Plaza, along 4th Avenue, Parklands.
This bookstore stocks everything from a curated selection of fiction,
biography, history, travel and crime to art and photography books. Pals Bookshop also
features a collection of beautiful children’s books and is mostly famous for
stocking Diwali items and other Indian religious festival items like Rangoli
colours and stencils, Navratri items and Holi colours.
16. Readmore Kenya.
Readmore
Kenya is a great bookstore located along the Kikuyu Nderi Road near
Jamii Bora Bank. It is well-known among residents of Kikuyu as an ideal place
to purchase stationery and books. The best thing about Readmore Kenya is
its superb customer service.
17. Stanley Bookshop.
Stanley
Bookshop located along Kimathi Street within the Nairobi CBD is a
small independent bookstore that is situated in the heart of Nairobi city.
Their ever-packed store and fully stocked shelves always ensure customers leave
with a book or two from their vast collection.
18. Rafu
Books.
Rafu Books is
a hardcover books and gifts store located in Fatima Court along Argwings Kodhek
Road. Rafu Books partners
with local authors to ensure they provide customers with rare exclusive copies
of writers. They have a great online store where customers can get the books of
their choice from their well-organized catalogue.
Besides doing same-day deliveries for customers around
Nairobi, Rafu Books also
ships books overseas via international couriers for their esteemed and valued
customers.
19. Kencos Bookshop
Kencos Bookshop is an in-store shopping and in-store pick up
bookstore located along Gandhi Avenue. Despite Kencos Bookshop being a small
business, the family-run bookshop allows customers to order school books and
office supplies for those who cannot do in-house shopping, stationery and cares
for all education-related needs. The books here are quite affordable and range
from children’s books, primary and secondary school books.
20. Enjoy Christian
Bookshop
Enjoy Christian
Bookshop is located at Church House along Moi Avenue and is a
Christian book centre that deals in the sale of a wide range of Christian
literature, spiritual books, to inspirational music through their Christian
music CD’s. Enjoy
Christian Bookshop does same-day deliveries for goods ordered by their
customers who reside within Nairobi.
Online Bookstores
For those who are scared of going out to buy we have some Online Stores that get the job done. Yes, Shipping to Kenya can be tedious if you have no idea what you’re doing from shipping cost and waiting for months but I have used these three and I was impressed by their service. If you have any suggestions on other online platforms I’d appreciate it.
I usually use Abe books for cheap used books even though it
takes awhile to ship to Kenya but the prices are usually good.
I hope you enjoyed the small trip around Nairobi’s
Bookshops and above all I hope my fellow Nairobi Bibliophiles have
gotten an idea of how to navigate through the complex shopping experience. If
by any chance you have visited these places I would love to know or it would be
awesome if you recommend some hidden gems in Nairobi because I am always on the
lookout for new places to buy books.