I had to get some materials for a recent project I've been working on lately, so my mom and I ventured into Sham Shui Po on Kowloon side of the city early Saturday morning. Sham Shui Po is an area filled with locally-owned small businesses (think vintage records, second hand watches and fabric of all sorts). This old school Hong Kong area attracts quite an eclectic crowd - elderly locals who live in the neighborhood, the weekend locals hunting for bargains, and a few exceptionally adventurous tourists here and there.
[Tip to visitors: Be prepared for the heat and crowds. Wear comfy clothes and flats!]
My favorite street of the area is Yu Chau Street, which is filled with fabric stores, buttons, beads, zippers, anything you would need to make your own garment/purse/bracelet/anything wearable. You can literally find every single possible thing you need to make an accessory from scratch. Look at that humongous shelf of beads!!! I picked out some to make my own bracelets - for a fraction of what they would cost me if I bought them anywhere else. I'll blog about the final product soon, I'm very happy with how they turned out!
Bead shopping was followed by a stroll down Ap Lei Street, the most hustly bustly area of Sham Shui Po. As you can see from the above pictures, you can literally find anything here. Like, anything. Alarm clocks, cutlery, pots & pans, shoes, bags, snacks, electric drills, light bulbs, fish tanks, old jewelry, second hand anything, vintage goods... like... anything. Really everything and anything.
I had so much fun digging through baskets of old jade and pottery. It takes patience for one to find the gem amongst the second hand piles. It's really not your every day shopping, instead here it's more like treasure hunting. The morning flew by with all the "oooohs" and "ahhhhs" as I picked up old teapots and compasses wondering how long they've been around.
My favorite Saturdays are spent sleeping in and late afternoon brunches, but every now and then I'm up for an adventure like today.
Hope you're all having a lovely and fulfilling weekend.
Hey Rachel, I am really enjoying your blog. If you get a minute, I have had an idea about us doing a partnered blog post. If you are interested, email me at naomi-emma@hotmail.co.uk. Hopefully speak soon! Xxx
ReplyDeletesent you an email :)
Deletelove them, they are soops vintage! check out those old school clocks you actually use to smash to stop the alarm just being all crammed together, kinda artsy no?
ReplyDeletexx nathan.niche
http://www.the-provoker.com/2012/08/neon-turquoise.html
yup i love those alarms! sooooo old school. btw i love your neon and turquoise look. very whimsical and summery!
Deletegreat photos
ReplyDeletehttp://thestyleshedblog.blogspot.co.uk/
wah, very colorful photos and what an interesting treasure mine you have found! I would visit there again and again and dig through piles of old stuff like you said and enjoy the fun of finding a piece of treasure amongst them. That must be fun!
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