#2: Sham Shui Po

Fabric District

Hong Kong is made up of many smaller districts. And each district has it’s specialities. For example, our neighborhood contained the restaurant supply shops and the professional salon supply stores. Quite nice for a girl who is fond of high-end shampoo at wholesale prices.

Piles of wonderful ribbon!

Fabric Swatches

Sham Shui Po is by far my most favorite district in the whole city. It’s a crafters paradise. Many of the factories in Southern China keep a small shop in this district, allowing designers, product managers, sourcing people, etc. access to samples of what these factories produce. You’ll find a few blocks designated for buttons, zippers, and clasps, another area with beads, charms, and semi-precious stones, and on and on. My favorite area in Sham Shui Po is set aside for fabric and ribbon. The selection is incredible!!! And most shops will sell you a few pieces (samples) of each item that strikes your fancy. Ultimately, these shops hope to reach designers and the like, not just craft-fiends like myself, but they usually can’t tell the difference.

I was very excited to discover that my friend Michelle had the same love for SSP that I did. A couple of weeks ago we hit the shops together and it was great fun!

Michelle trying to decide which fabric she likes best

She decided!
(And already made me a beautiful bag from it!)

I love places that bring out the craft monster inside of me. As I exit the MTR and begin to walk around the SSP district, I get the most unbelievable creative surge and immediately want to buy everything, go into hiding, and make stuff! Lots of stuff! So, I made sure to stock up on all my favorite bits and bobbins before packing up and leaving town. And I can guarantee upon my next trip to Hong Kong, I'll be bringing an extra suitcase to fill with lovely goodies!