Fabric Shopping in Seoul – Part 2 (Dongdaemun Shopping Town)

The great thing about Seoul is that everything is pretty centralized if you are looking for a particular item. What I mean is, if you are looking for electronic goods for example, you go to the Yongsan Electronics market where there is more choice than you can count. If you are looking for pets, they are a gazillion pet shops along that one street. Same with music instruments, furniture, sewing machines, lighting, sporting goods etc…

I think the Koreans practice laissez faire pretty well and aren’t afraid of a little competition even if it is right next door or across the street. So this makes shopping around really convenient.

Another great place for fabrics is Dongdaemun Shopping Town which is directly opposite Pyeonghwa Market on the other side of the Cheongye river. If you are using the subway, lines 1 and 4 will take you Dongdaemun station then take exits 8 or 9 and it’s the tall white building ahead of you.

For more information: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734

I tend to get a little lost every time I go there as the stores can seem repetitive after awhile and the pathways are so convoluted. I tend to get my sewing supplies in the basement. There are a few stores there at the edge of the section where the thread stores start on the far left of the building. If you go in through the main entrance, take the escalator down, walk through the curtains/soft furnishings section, past the blankets and knitting sections and you will see lots of thread vendors ahead of you.

Some lace, buttons, ribbons and embellishments on the ground floor

Also found in the basement are batting, vendors who will sew bedding/duvets for you. You can order your soft furnishings like cushions, curtains, table cloths as well. What I found helpful were the ahjumma’s and ahjassi’s who sit there with their overlock machines and will sew your edges closed for you for a small fee. My 한국 語 is not that quite good enough yet.

For cotton and linen, I head up to the first floor and target the A sections. You may find some heavier materials in D section although I find that they have more cotton t-shirt material of different weaves. Have not been able to find felt or fleece yet.

In A section there are also many choices of cotton, silk and polyester although I would just walk around and pick your favourite stores. Sometimes you will see the same fabric in different stores.

Be warned, if you are looking for t-shirt fabrics, most are wholesalers so will not entertain small quantities. I find that the vendors selling cotton and linen to be more open to selling in smaller quantities from 1m. Though, I dare you to ask for half a meter. Let me know how successful you are. : )

There are plenty of choices for lace, trimmings and buttons. Basically there is something for everyone here. I never spend less than 2 hours every time I go and I end up buying lots of fabrics that I have yet to use but they are for all these great projects that I have in mind. : )