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Azizi Life Boutique
Azizi Life Boutique
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Located in the compound of Heaven Restaurant, this beautiful boutique offers a wide range of high quality, fairtrade, Rwandan made, Handicrafts. Each craft comes with an artisans signature tag and details of where the craft came from. On the third Saturday of every month is 'Kids Crafts Experience.' Artisans are on hand to teach you how to make your very own crafts. A different craft each month with specific details on the Azizi Life website.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
11 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
3
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
laura T
Chicago, IL51 contributions
Sep 2021
If open markets leave you kind of paralyzed by what to buy and haggling isn’t your thing, then I’m with you. I love the energy of the open air markets, but when I go to actually purchase I like to take my time and really examine the pieces. This shop has outstanding art, lovely pieces of jewelry and home decor. The selection is small but representative.
Written October 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
psycozz
Washington DC, DC140 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
This shop is conveniently located right in the compound of the restaurant Heaven. It can be a little tricky to find because we didn't see a sign for the shop out on the road, so just look for the sign for Heaven. The shop mainly sold woven items, particularly very nice baskets and other kind of vessels. They also had some jewelry similarly made from woven materials. The quality of the items seemed very good and the person running the shop while we were there was very friendly and helpful. The only drawback for me is that the shop is very small so the selection is rather limited.
Written February 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnsHopkins
Baltimore, MD2 contributions
Jan 2016 • Friends
prices might be slightly higher than similar products in markets, but you get what you pay - quality artisan products!
Written January 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
illini2000_LA
Los Angeles, CA124 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
We read about this place in the Brandt guide and decided to check it out. It's outside of the main part of Kigali, but luckily our driver was able to find it. There is a sign pointing where to enter. You just honk and a guy opens the door. Once you go in, there are tons of hand made baskets and different items. We were welcomed with open arms, made to feel at home and not haggled. The style of the items is similar to what you'll find in other parts of the country, but I recommend just buying everything at Azizi Life. The lady inside was really friendly and happy to help. Also, a lot of the artisans are inside and the items for sale often have a label with the name of the person who made it. The prices are also great and even though there was a Visa sign on the door, we paid cash. Like everywhere else in Rwanda, the receipt was handwritten. It's best to just get a bigger basket and pile everything into it. They also sell really nice and colorful bags that make great gifts. There's also a restroom available, which is not the norm, so we were happy. When we return to Rwanda some day, we will also take advantage of the cultural tour they offered where you spend time with a local family. After our 2 weeks in Rwanda, we were so happy and relieved that we had purchased things here because souvenir shops were just not available most places.
Written August 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for your review, we are so glad that you enjoyed your visit and found some lovely artisan crafts. We actually have two stores in Rwanda. This Tripadvisor page is about the one in the heart of Kigali, however, the one that you visited was in Muhanga which, as you mentioned was out of town (about an hour drive). I thought I best clear that up, just in case future guest got confused.
On another side note, we do now have the electronic tax receipts and are able to email full details of purchases made. If you would like a receipt emailed please just ask the staff when you check out and supply them with your contact details.
Many thanks,
Tom
Written August 25, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Omar D
Malmö, Sweden88 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
This is a good place for getting souvenirs back home. Although it should be said that its just one out of many places in Kigali that more or less sells similar stuff. But still; good place for souvenirs.
Written September 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kalen Abe
Santa Clara, CA100 contributions
Aug 2019
This place is located at Heaven, so it's understandably more expensive than their location in Kaciru. However, you get what you pay for. All of the crafts are high quality and beautiful.
Written August 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tati_kat2020
San Diego, CA114 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
Whether you go to the location in Heaven, or the other store/ craft space near the KCB building, this company is an awesome and sustainable shopping experience. I love how nice the saleswomen are and how helpful they are in finding the perfect memory to take home. Their carved birds or handmade baskets are beautiful and of high- quality. Really suggest if you would like to do some boutique shopping.
Written August 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pat B
Surry, VA95 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Tourist traps are a dime a dozen, and so many shops have "negotiable" prices which tend to be higher for Americans and Europeans. Here at Azizi, you will find real quality hand-crafted goods and clearly marked, fair prices. The sales staff are delightful, friendly and quite helpful. They even allowed me to purchase using some Rwandan francs and some American dollars. The real plus here is that because of the mission of the organization, you can be sure that the money you spend here actually goes to the artist/crafter and provides them with sustainable income. This is a total win - win!!!
Written November 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Odd_Meter
New York522 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
We shopped at Azizi Life while staying at Heaven Boutique Hotel. There are many tourist shops in Kigali — some even at tables set up in the courtyard of Heaven — which all sell the same low-grade tourist souvenirs that may not even be made in Rwanda. Azizi is different. The goods there are very high quality, and sourced from local craft cooperatives. Each piece has a tag "made with pride … display with pride" and the artist's signature. We found many pieces we liked for gifts or to grace our home — more then would fit in our suitcases. One of the pieces we liked was a tall, contoured basket of woven bamboo about 1 meter high — definitely too big for a suitcase! We inquired about shipping, and yes, for a reasonable cost they would handle packing and shipping to New York. We ended up purchasing a good many items, some of which we brought with us on the plane, and others packed with the tall basket for shipment. Whenever shipping items back from overseas there is always the concern that they will arrive undamaged, in good time … Azizi Life did it responsibly in combination with Iposita postal service, and our lovely Rwandan pieces arrived undamaged in New York about two weeks later. Although the prices are considerably higher than in the cheap tourist shops, the quality of work and authenticity is at a much higher level, and we are very happy with our purchases. The quality of the workers in the boutique was excellent as well … we went in three times over 2–3 days, and they put items aside for us, updated items, weights and shipping options, all without pressure, and accepted credit cards for payment. One word of caution for those traveling by plane … we purchased some beautiful candles and packed them in our carry-on luggage, but apparently this is not allowed and sadly they were confiscated at the Kigali airport. So if you buy candles, be sure to pack them in your checked luggage! And enjoy the great artisan crafts at Azizi!
Written August 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LindyB69
Albany, NY24 contributions
May 2016 • Family
Sign up for this experience, trying out all the daily activities of a village woman - visit in a village woman's home, put on traditional clothes, prepare and cook a meal that you will eat with your hands, get water from the lake, sit and talk about life... I was surprised how much I enjoyed this day. We got caught in the rain and our new found friends sang songs with us while we waited.
Definitely worthwhile if you have the time.
Definitely worthwhile if you have the time.
Written April 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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