The K1 flea market takes place on Sunday at the K1 Klub House. K1 is a nightspot located in the cool and serene suburbs of Westlands along Parklands – Ojijo road in Nairobi. Famous for its Reggae Nights on Thursdays and the perfect spot to catch drinks with friends and watch live sport.

I made plans to go to the flea market after reading a post on Leotunapika blog, so one fine Sunday instead of lazing around (my favorite pastime) in the house I got dressed and headed to the flea market with my friend. On arrival the first thing was to look for a parking spot…and look we did. It took us about 30 minutes to get a spot. There is very little parking in the venue and the parking outside was mostly occupied by churchgoers from a nearby church and other visitors to the flea market. I would advise you take a walk if you live close by, get a cab or ensure you make it to the market very early.

 

The market brings a diverse group of vendors with different items both new and old, from body butter to art to fashion and a whole lot more. This post is mainly to highlight the vendors there and just give a short summary of my experience.

I have to say I love the set-up. The decor is boho chic which is right up my alley. You will be welcomed by a huge sign saying K1 flea market and right outside (at least on the day I visited) was a furniture maker whose wares are made out re-purposed palettes.

 

A chair will set you back Kshs 6000 *cough*.

 

Once you walk in, your attention will be drawn by the tables that are prominent the center of the market. This is where the brunch is served all day. Brunch costs Kshs 950 and the plan was to have some but instead opted to forego since on the same day I was visiting the Marula Mercantile Restaurant which was part of the Nairobi Restaurant Week. You can see the items they have on their brunch menu here .

 

 

The vendors change from week to week I suppose, but they’re some who can be found there regularly. There was definitely a lot of stuff and some wonderful gems in the mix. Here’s a selection of the vendors I encountered. I made a point to visit every single stand.

Brownies by Bahati

Bought cookies from Bahati, chocolate chip cookies (6 for Kshs 200).

She also sells clothes and has a store that is open on weekdays.

 

A kaftan costs Kshs 5,000

 


Keyara Organics, a line of natural skin and hair care products. I can’t remember any of the prices but hopefully you can find them on their Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

Next up was a stall stocking some of Michael Soi’s work and some accessories.

 

You can see more of his work here.

 

Need to cool down a bit in the hot sun? How about some gelato from Need Gelato.

 

 

The clothes seemed to be a bit overpriced … from 5000 bob Kaftans to t-shirts going for Kshs 1500. If that’s not too much for you then you can find them on facebook .

 

 

For t-shirts, body butters, hair butters, afro combs and hair turbans the Afrofanatic is the spot.

 

 

The turbans are lined with satin, very handy if you have natural hair

I spent a lot of time at the Migwi Farm stand, I am really into using succulents as decor right now.

 

The plant above now has a new home, it was Kshs 400

 

They also had a selection of homemade chilies. I bought a small jar for Kshs 100. The chili is perfect for anyone who doesn’t like too much heat.

Right next to the Migwi Farm stand was Jason Runo of BYSS (Because you said so!) selling an array of show merchandise and custom t-shirts

 

 

The stand next to his had an array of random products from health food to deodorant and even make up.

 

 

The other side of the market was made up of stands stocking organic body & hair products, accessories and bags.

Accessories by Faith. You can find more of her things on Facebook

I think they were going for Kshs 300

 

 

Flufffy buttah! Find them on Facebook here.

 

 

Buy a bracelet and help a needy child go to school. Learn more about Mdada.

 

 

For a selection of homemade butters, chili sauces etc then check out African Kaya’s stand.

 

Having sampled the chilli sauce from Migwi Farm and the one from African Kaya I have to say I preferred the Migwi Farm one, plus their prices were more pocket friendly (Kshs 400 for 200g vs Kshs 100 for 100g).

Last but not least was this stand of bags and clutches made from lovely Ankara fabric. Unfortunately,the vendor is not on social media, it would be great to see more of what they have to offer.

The smaller clutches were going for around Kshs 1000

 

 

If you have little ones there’s a bouncing castle…that’s about it for the kids section.

 

You can also enjoy some drinks at the main K1 bar,

 

 

I am planning on going back for the brunch, I have been meaning to start vlogging *attempts to hop onto the YouTube bandwagon* so maybe next time instead of a post I’ll put up a video.

Overall I had a great experience, good music, great crowd and a new first flea market shopping experience. A great day to spend a Sunday afternoon. The market is open from 10AM to 6PM on Sundays. I am yet to confirm whether it takes place every Sunday, but check out their Facebook page for more details.

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2 Comments

  1. March 12, 2017 at 8:18 pm — Reply

    The biggest surprise here was the straw bales! Wouldn’t have expected to find them in use at a flea market in Nairobi. Thanks for sharing the photos of everything there — it looks like a fascinating stop on an itinerary.

  2. Omo
    March 7, 2019 at 3:13 pm — Reply

    Thanks for posting. The post really flows like a story and adds lots of personality to the market and culture.

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