Built on relationships,
not transactions.
Tommy's Gift Shop is a curated home for objects of meaning. We partner directly with cooperatives and independent makers across Kenya — paying fair prices upfront and sharing each maker's name and craft tradition with you.
Heritage you can hold.
We started Tommy's Gift Shop in 2021 after years of travelling between East African markets and global retail floors. We kept noticing the same gap: extraordinary craft was being made, and almost none of the value was reaching the maker.
We exist to close that gap. Every order pays an artisan fairly, supports tooling and training, and helps a tradition stay alive in the next generation.
Five quiet commitments
Fair pay
Paid in full, upfront. Never on consignment.
Low impact
Natural fibers, vegetable tanning, reclaimed wood.
Real craft
No factories. Only artisan workshops.
Named makers
You always know whose hands made it.
Slow growth
Small batches. Long-term partnerships.
Amina, beadwork artisan — Kitengela
Amina leads a 14-woman cooperative outside Nairobi. Their beadwork carries patterns passed down four generations — every necklace, cuff and curio tells a small story about its maker.
50% of every cuff sold goes back to the cooperative, funding bead supplies, child care, and workshop expansions.
Shop Amina's work