String/Ribbon/Cloth/Bead/Button Streets
I had an a great day-off today. Went to look for some strings for a friend and market researched several stationery, art/craft stores. Strolling in Sham Sui Po area where there are hundreds of outlets selling all sorts of fabric/fashion related materials, I rediscovered the area which once were part of Hong Kong's textile industry success, feeding 625,000 residents directly or indirectly in 1960s. There is no place in the world having such high concentration and variety of textile materials. If you are not familiar with Hong Kong, we even have streets full of retailers dedicated to selling birds, flower and fish.
I could've spent hours but the weather was so hot I had sweat all over. So I just bought several yards of interesting strings, some coated with PolySomething (wax they said), some leather and some Polyurethane based. I couldn't even concentrate to take better photos due to the heat.
Price sold in small quantity varies from HK$1/yard to HK$5/yard for those I selected. Many stores allow you to cut a maximum 2 inches piece per style for sampling.
Later I went to Tak Cheung Stationery in Sham Sui Po, Chung Nam Book & Stationery in Mong Kok, Hands ARt & Craft in Wan Chai and lastly Paper Art in Central. Believe me, in such a tiny little place, Hong Kong is truly a shopping heaven. I turned out bought over HK$1000 Hero Arts stamps from Paper Art and became their permanent member :)
