Looking for the perfect Christmas present for the lady in your life? Your girlfriend, sister or mother? Or maybe you’d just like something unique to brighten up your best friend’s yuletide? If so you’ll find just what you’re looking for in the Aladdin’s Cave that is Mira Mira in Sandymount.
Intimate and glowing with colour, vibrancy and passion, this shopper’s paradise has all you need to make your Christmas gift unique and special and you’re almost guaranteed that your present will be original and unmatched anywhere else.
The centrally-located haven of gifts has been open at 3 Sandymount Green for three years now and is the brainchild of South African born proprietor Bronwyn Thomson, who has been resident in Ireland for ten years now.
Animated and suitably proud of her store, Bronwyn says she has a regular and loyal local trade and she’s confident that shoppers of all ages and tastes will have their needs met in Mira Mira.
A quick tour through the store finds everything from baskets to photo frames, stationery to baby clothes, mirrors to mobiles, scarves, hats and lampshades, each very different and colourful and the majority hand-crafted and imported from far-away exotic places.
Many products make the long journey from India or China to Sandymount but they come with the assurance of high quality. For the environmentalist there’s also a full range of Fair Trade products, herbal teas, coffees and chocolates as well as make up, toiletries, Christmas cards, decorations and candles.
Bronwyn told ‘NewsFour’ that she makes a conscious decision to import goods she has been assured are made by hard-working, genuine people who are not being exploited and are working in humane conditions.
Most of the stunning costume jewellery in the store is made in India. “I deal with a UK company who are a Christian group and most of the jewellery is made by disadvantaged people living in rural areas who are looking for work.
The jewellery from Africa is mainly made out of wire and beads and the products are generally made by carers in the community who receive no income from the government. I also like to showcase Irish designers every so often,” she adds.
From mobiles to jigsaws, dolls to train sets, the one thing you’ll notice about children’s toys in Mira Mira is that they are strong and durable. “No toy here needs batteries,” says Bronwyn, a fact she is clearly proud of. “We have opted for more traditional toys that last longer, a world away from computers.”
Adults are catered for too here with a vast array of specialised gifts to suit all tastes so why not call in to this haven and see what takes your fancy?
Mira Mira is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6.30pm and on Sundays from 12.30 to 5.30pm.