As one traverses around Gigiri residential area, it's hard to miss a shopping complex that sits approximately 9.7 kilometres from Nairobi's Central Business District.
Village Market has over the years established itself as a one-stop recreation and entertainment hub that encompasses a variety of amenities bound to keep its customers engaged.
Unknown to many, what was once a coffee farm over three decades ago has grown into one of the most prestigious high-end shopping joints in Kenya's capital.
The brains behind the building are two brothers who decided to create an 'African Village' from a seven-acre piece of land.
Hamed Ehsani and his brother, Mehraz, took a chance and pumped Ksh90 million into the project a bid to transform the desolate piece of land that was filled with coffee bushes.
Mehraz, a renowned architect, designed the idea which later began attracting prime and niche businessmen who set up shops within the shopping centre.
"We were just driving around when my brothers and I saw this place and thought we could set up a few shops and create a shopping centre that captures the concept of an African village, a market that brings people together and creates a setting for socioeconomic interrelations.
"We bought the seven-acre piece of land that was full of coffee bushes. My elder brother designed it and three years later, we had 60 shops,” Hamed recently told Nation.
Currently, the establishment consists of nine waterslides, a 12-lane bowling alley, a Nu-metro cinema hall as well as 150 outlets that consist of numerous amenities and facilities.
Hamed, who is the managing director at Greenhills Investments Limited, graduated with a Bachelor's degree in international business from the University of San Francisco. He also has a Masters in Business Administration from the Iran Centre for Management Studies.
His brother, on the other hand, is a British-trained engineer who taught architecture at the University of Nairobi before indulging in real estate.
He is credited for designing the five-star Tribe Hotel as well as the Ksh600 million, House Number 12 Magnolia Hills located in Kitisuru- arguably Kenya's most expensive private mansion.
Their family has had their fingerprints on Kenya's most iconic structures with Hamed's son, Hooman Ehsani developing the Ksh3 billion Palm Valley estate located in Nairobi. Sitting on a 20-acre piece of land, the estate consists of 88 lavish apartments. Hooman is the Chief Executive of Century City Property Limited.
