It's the weekend (yay!) and so I thought I'd follow on from my last post with something a little more light hearted. Thank you to everyone who sent me a lovely message of support and encouragement by the way, and apologies for making so many of you cry!
These are some pics I took a few months ago at an old haberdashery shop near where my parents live. I love visiting as it is full of all those old glass fronted cabinets and shelves upon shelves of ribbons and trims. Tucked around the back corner is a wall of little, tattered, cardboard boxes full of buttons, all arranged in colour order with one of each attached to the front and scribbled out prices in faded pencil
My favourite section, the place I head straight for every time, is full of pretty, pastel coloured trimmings wound around worn-out, cardboard holders. It has guipure lace, cotton crochet and ruffled tulle all a little bit grubby and faded from time. This stock has sat there virtually untouched for the entire 20 odd years I've been going there; it is now officially vintage! I find an excuse to buy a few meters from time to time; it's hard to come by the real deal these days and I so love the way they are displayed
I'd like to tell you that the shop keeper is a plump, rosy-cheeked, smiley lady who sits with her knitting and is keen to help you find the perfect button for your latest project (because that's how it is in my little happy crafting fantasy); but sadly not so, which is a huge shame as I would have liked to chat with her a while and learn about how the industry has changed over the years she has been in business.
I'd like to have chatted about what it would have been like when she first opened and when people made their own clothes and homewares. And what gems the haberdashery salesmen would have offered in terms of stock. I would like to have had the courage to ask her if she'd sell me some of her old stock of guipure lace, cotton crochet and ruffled tulle still on the tatty carboard holders, but in all honesty it woud be like reaching out to try to stroke a rabid dog
The shop is closing this weekend, so I suppose I have lost my chance for a peek into this world of colour-coded, tactile treasures. There is rumour that the whole inventory of stock has been purchased ~ I wonder (read: hope) that a new version of the shop might open and that there will still be somewhere for me to admire all those rows of dreamy haberdashery goodness! And if not, well I'm glad I took these photos and I can always organise my own stock of trims, buttons and notions in the same way!
Goodbye Button Boutique!
Do you have a local old fashioned haberdashery store near you? What's your favourite section there? Is the shop keeper a friendly soul?!
Lisa x
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What ever happened to the stock or the store - such an interesting story - I've been in small shops around NC like that - all gone now though
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