With the holidays in full swing, a lot of us are stuck with the task of buying gifts. Picking out the perfect gift for our loved ones can be a really tedious process that takes up a lot of time brainstorming, and needs a hefty amount of understanding of each person’s unique preferences. We see your struggle and we’ve got your back. Taking matters into our own hands, we embarked on a mission to simplify the art of gift-giving. Our team scoured the vibrant shops across the bustling neighborhood of Maadi to curate a diverse and thoughtful selection of presents tailored to suit every type of friend.
The Cozy Homebody
Admit it, we all have that one friend who we’d be lucky to meet at least once a month as they are usually cooped up in their home. They just love chilling at home, having some movie marathons and tuning out of social media. If that is the type of friend you have, we have the perfect gift for them. Nestled at 216 road is Nillens, the cozy home wear brand that opened its doors back in 2011. At this cute shop, you can find an adorable set of Christmas PJs, robes and their snuggly throw blankets with cute designs. We recommend getting your friend a cute and simple checkered red and white robe that can be worn anytime.
The Old Soul
We all have that friend who knows all the classic old black & white films, who is a lover of all things antiques and even dresses the part looking like they come from another era. Believe it or not, there is a perfect place to buy gifts for that kind of friend. Hidden behind the towering trees of Maadi at Street 7 is the special store. Known as Al Qahira Gallery, this is considered Egypt’s first contemporary design house that works on design and crafts. This spot exudes a cool antique vibe as each of its rooms are sprawled with vintage items as well as furniture and home decor celebrating Egypt’s golden age of cinema including bright yellow chairs decorated with black and white photos of the legendary comedian Ismail Yassine. Along with that, we believe that the go-to gift for your vintage friend are any of the shop’s collected old vintage cameras. They have cameras that come in all shapes and sizes from different time periods. So with that, check out the store and make your oldie lover happy.
The Sentimental Kind
Whether you are watching a sad movie or a cute video of a puppy saving a chick, you’ll have that one friend who’s already started the waterworks. Every holiday and occasion, you know they will be giving the most thought-out and sentimental gift. Now, it’s time to repay the favor by heading to Maadi’s very own ultimate gift shop known as Cow. The moment we entered the store, it felt like being smack dab in the middle of a winter wonderland. The whole room was glowing with red and white ornaments, reindeer and Christmas music wafting from the speakers. The entire space was packed with the cutest Christmas gifts, we didn’t know where to look first. Among all those trinkets, our favorite item and what we’d recommend getting for your friend are leather scrolls with carved-out adorable personalized messages.
The Caffeine Addict
Hanging out with this friend means you have to be ready for their bouts of hyperactive energy and non-stop talking. Always walking with a coffee in their hand, this particular friend loves their daily caffeine dose. That is why we recommend getting their gift from a store that specializes in customized and funky-designed mugs. Known as Marketchino, this special gift store is decked out with unique gifts across its two floors which means you will have plenty of options to pick from. After taking a close look at everything on offer, the mugs were the one product that truly made a mark. One particular mug stood out for us as we have not seen anything like it so far. Nestled on their white shelves is a simple glass mug with one unique feature. It boasts a double layer of glass meaning that the inside of its glass as well as the bottom of the cup is filled with dried flowers. Beautiful, practical and elegant, this is the perfect cup for your friend to enjoy their next cup of Jo.
The Artsy Type
Always with a paintbrush or pencil in hand, there’s always that one friend whose got a knack for the arts. They will be or probably have studied fine arts, graphic design or something along those lines so will have a taste for anything creative and artsy. Taking a step away from the rest of this gift guide, we made a stop at Il Pennello Ceramic Cafe where we got to embark on our very own artful journey. Standing tall across multiple shelves was a wide selection of plain clay mugs, pots, plates and the like in different shapes and sizes. Once we picked our mugs, we sat down, got our mugs and started painting. Let me tell you, once those mugs baked, we got two really cool glossy picturesque mugs out of it. Your artsy friend will appreciate this hand-painted gift as it is a literal celebration of what they love the most, art.
At each of these unique Maadi stores, you have a wide variety of local products that we believe will suit several unique types of friends. Hitting up these stores you’ll also be able to find gifts for other types of friends as each of these shops offers a rich collection of items.