Samuel Taylor

To a vintage shop enthusiast such as myself, a well stocked haberdashery is essential. Samuel Taylor’s more than fits that description.
Where else would I go for eyelets to adapt a skirt, shoulder pads to customise a jacket or a selection of decorative buttons to transform a shirt. Oh, the buttons! There is a whole wall dedicated to displaying these shiny treasures. It brings out the child in me, definitely provoking a kind of kid in a sweet shop reaction.
Downstairs, there is a large number of fabrics to buy off the roll. I recently made a cape out of some gorgeous electric blue material from their basement, the vibrancy of the colour is stunning.
I am constantly mentally modifying and reshaping clothing whilst shopping, safe in the knowledge that Samuel Taylor will be able to help me.

You can get all kinds of stuff at Samuel Taylor’s like ribbon, feathers, beads, and buttons just to name a few. I don’t know if its me but whenever I go in I seem to spend ages waiting to be served even when its not busy! I think its the kind of shop you need to visit when you’ve got plenty of time to spare, or maybe I just need to be more patient! Aside from that everything is great and the staff are very knowledgeable. Whether you’re a novice or a pro haberdasheries like this are great places to get your creative juices flowing, as theres somrthing here for everyone to enjoy.

I absolutely rely on this shop. Being a total crafty I am always nipping in and out of here to top up on bits of ribbon and whatever other bits of shiny that I might need. For a start, this shop has got crafts covered from every angle. Card making, dress making, jewellery, masks, glues — you name it and they have it, or can order it in for you. I was looking for peacock feathers one time and the lady even offered to make a special order just for me!
The shop is literally bursting with exciting bits, full of potential energy, to make and do. I love it. I think the thing that sets it apart for me, from most other craft shops, is the staff though. Even though the stock prices a little more than other places, the staff are so friendly and helpful that they make it feel personal and independent. When you ask their advice you are not asking some disinterested minimum wage robot, you are asking the wealth of, dare I say it, over thirty year’s (*ahem* maybe even more!) knowledge and advice, which is always given over with great care and attention to detail.
They deserve every star, and satisfy all my creative crafty needs!

My preconceptions of Samuel Taylor was that it was going to be as old fashioned as the outside with just as old fashioned clientele browsing at the fabrics with their blue rinses. My previous ideas of Samuel Taylor were very untrue.
Fashion students with big red hair and fur coats were browsing the buttons and lace and young stylish women were ogling over the leopard print fabrics. It seems with customisation and own made fashion being more on trend than Topshop right now that Samuel Taylor’s has more cred than Harvey Nichols.
However I am pretty challenged in the craft stakes and have always been unable to thread a needle, let alone sew my own buttons and lace onto a cardigan, so the shop doesn’t appeal to me at all. Nevertheless, despite Samuel Taylor gloomy exterior and décor the business seems booming.

In recent years, Samuel Taylor’s has served as a reliable barometer of the trend for DIY and thrift that’s become the norm in these credit-​crunch wary times. While five years ago I only had to battle past chatting grannies and hassled looking mothers to find the right shade of wool, trying to get through the shop these days is an obstacle course of Ugg boots, Nike trainers and everything in between. Anyone who’s anyone stitches their own these days, and the busyness of this shop proves it, but it’s worth waiting in the queue as they stock just about everything you could need in terms of sewing, knitting and general craft. The prices are sometimes a bit higher than those in the market, but the goods are often of a higher quality and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff always makes up for any extra pennies you might spend.

Great dinky little place where you can buy any colour thread you can imagine. It’s like a little cave of beautiful material downstairs. I used to love coming here as a little girl because of the gorgeous fabric’s they sell on rolls. It does zips, patterns, buttons and all kinds of sewing things you’d ever need! Great for when you want to customies clothes too. It’s a little hidden treasure behind house of fraser that is easily missed down a back street!