Buying gifts for friends while travelling can be difficult. You don't just want to buy any old riff raff that they can get anywhere. And buying touristy t-shirts is only cool if they're kind of iconic.

We've found a selection of interesting stores to check out. They range from the thrifty to the big spending types, all in Jo'burg.

Books, books, and more books

Sure you can get them at any old or new bookshop. But it’s not everyday you happen to stumble upon a place with about two million books. Then getting someone a book gift from your travels doesn't seem so trivial after all.

Check out the Collectors Treasury for an insane volume of books. They've been collected for years, going as far back as 1974.

Discover more little shopping twists in SA with these killer deals.

You will have to find something to buy just because you can't go a place with so many books and not find anything at all to get. If you love book smells, then you really should just move into the book store.

Collectors Treasury, CTP House, 244 Commissioner Street, 011 334 6556

Stuff like Marie Antoinette's

Period furniture fascination? Then visit la Basse-cour. They have all manner of furniture and home ware, all genuinely vintage. The owner, Robert Desfontaines says all the pieces have been imported from France.

The spoils include religious artefacts, antique lighting, chandeliers, gates and screens, large gilded mirrors and so much more. Obviously, you need to have a bit of viable currency, but you will definitely find something if you love this kind of thing or know of someone who does.

La Basse-cour, 44 Stanley Avenue, Milpark, 011 482 2707

Not curios

If you're sick of always trying to separate genuine African artwork from curios that will lose their novelty as soon as you get home, then a place like Amatuli Fine Art will delight you.

The items (astoundingly, they have thousands of them); carved crocodiles, fishes, snakes, benches, masks, painted figures, etc, are collected from all over the country and from central Africa and Swaziland. Apparently, owner Mark Valentine sells about 300 items per day.

Amatuli Fine Art, 170 Corlett Drive, Bramley, 011 440 5065

Olives, people, olives

Who knew we're an olive crazy people? Well some are. If you are one of them you'll love Tapenade Olive Shop. They don't just sell olives of the crushed olive dip, tapenade itself; they also have a staggering variety of other olive-centric products.

There's olive oil, obviously. But then you can also buy olive printed linen, crockery, dressings, jams and beauty products that include soaps, moisturisers and shampoos all made from the humble olive.

Tapenade Olive Shop, Shop 41, Cresta Shopping Centre, Cresta, 011 478 5378

Go green

If you're trying to live a low impact life, as we all should, then you'll enjoy your time at Fruits and Roots. There's vegetarian food, which goes a long way in dispelling the myth that vegetarian food has to be boring.

But there's much more to buy and incorporate into a green lifestyle. Check out their beauty products, all made organically without cruelty.

They also offer pamphlets to help you cook vegetarian or vegan food if you’re worried about what you're going to eat should you decide to go that route. Get all you can for yourself and some friends.

Fruits & Roots, 103 Komatie Road, Emmarentia, 011 646 4404

A model train with your ham

If you have to stop for a cup of coffee and a great pastry but are also on the lookout for a model train gift for a friend or for yourself, go to A Portas/The Shunting Yard and do both.

It's one of Jozi's original shops, at a 109-years-old and the deli offers phyllo pastry and Parma ham. On top of that it doubles as a model train shop.

A Parma ham loving model train enthusiast would just die.

A Portas/The Shunting Yard, The Galleria, Lower Level, Biermann Avenue, Rosebank Tel: 011 447 4683

It's all just disco

You must know at least one person who loves ostrich or turkey feather costumes (You might even be one yourself). Whichever way this goes, Ees Millinery will dazzle you. There are feathers of every colour in boxes all over the place. Feather boas? Cher and Elton John would set up permanent camp here, for this selection alone.

They also provide all kinds of extras for costume creation. Sequins, rhinestones, endless rolls of lycra…it's a disco darling.

Ees Millinery, 57 Von Wielligh Street, Johannesburg, 011 333 4582

• Add new comment

Bookmark/Search this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•