Hardware vs Haberdashery

I have a friend who could gladly spend hours wandering up and down the aisles in a hardware shop and prefers this sort of retail therapy to any other. While I have been known to make regular visits to the local Bunnings and, in fact, scarcely a week goes by without at least one visit, I would not name this as my favourite destination when shopping is undertaken. Rows of black rubber boots are all very useful, as are these colourful shovels, and the paint colour sample wall was extremely useful when Mandy and I were trying to select colours for our new fabrics. However, if I have to shop for something practical, give me haberdashery any day.

The local Spotlight store which I used to frequent on a regular basis was closed earlier this year and while I was sorry to see it go because it meant I had to drive further for my 'fix', it was really no loss. It was an extremely dingy shop (a miner's helmet with an in-built light would have been useful), the merchandise was poorly displayed and the take a number and wait method of being served usually meant setting aside the whole day just to make one purchase. Imagine my delight when it re-opened this week in a location closer to home, in an enormous brightly lit space with plenty of helpful staff (no numbers in sight), and all the stock beautifully displayed. I have already been twice this week. The first time I was so overwhelmed by the amount of things to look at I had to retreat for a coffee and return another day. If they had a cafe on site they wouldn't get rid of me! I spent hours among the buttons, threads, ribbons and fabrics, getting a kick out of all the clever little gadgets to make sewing life easier and the shelves seemed to go on forever. Sew much prettier than black boots and shovels and sew much to inspire new projects. I have told John that if he can't find me either in the garden or at the sewing machine, he doesn't have to look any further than the haberdashery aisles at Spotlight.