The Button Bazaar

Today is a holiday in Korea, called National Foundation Day in English and Gaecheonjoel in Korean - although if you actually want to pronounce it semi accurately think of it as Gachonjol where the 'a' is the same as in apple and the 'o's are the same as in con. I'm not really sure what it's all about, will ask my students tomorrow. I just saw it as a day off :-D

I decided today that I was going to buy the tools I need to do my mending, cotton, some buttons to replace those I have lost and also tailors chalk. Some of the alterations I need to make are too much for hand sewing and I have found a lady who runs a small stall about five minutes walk from my apartment who only charges W1000 a seam.

So after cutting another button off the coat that has already lost one button I headed off to Dongdaemun, where I had been told there is a Button Market. All I have to say is WOW! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. There was a whole floor of buttons and another of lace and ribbons and feathers and at least 3 floors of fabric and a whole floor of cotton and another couple of wool, and and and ...!

From outside it just looks like any other building in Seoul, at least 6 floors high and very boring. But when you get inside it is full of small stalls seperated by the narrowest of asles. I proceeded to walk up to the button stalls, show them the button I was trying to match and wait for them to say 'Neh' (yes) or 'Aniyo' (No). Found what I needed by about the fifth stall. There were some amazing buttons, made me want to make some clothes just so I could use the buttons! I have pretty much decided that I will have to save for a sewing machine. I found beautiful fabrics, amazing trims and gorgeous colours, and I want to use them all. (But, I was very restrained and only bought the things on my list.)

On the wool floor all the stall holders were sitting round in little groups knitting, and getting up to attend to there stalls if people needed them. The stuff the were knitting was amazing!!

From there I stumbled into a building that was all about interior decorating. I would adore to set up a home in Korea. Found a floor dedicated to curtains, nets and drapes. Again WOW!! What we have at home is so plain and boring compared to what was displayed there. And then I found a couple of floors for bedding ... I'm running out of adjectives really quickly. Let's just say I had a glorious few hours poking around in the Button Bazaar and all the associated floors!!!!

And I definitely going to buy a sewing machine!