AIBU to want to shop at John Lewis for buttons, not a Brazilian?

[Quandry]

OMG. Never mind Brexit. If anything is likely to drive me out of the UK it's this:
John Lewis to swap haberdashery for bikini waxes and prosecco bars under new boss

The last bastion of Middle England is to be RUINED by some new upstart boss who thinks we care more about our minge than our muslin!

I'm warning her - there will be rioting in the streets...

Annoyingly I went to JL yesterday, to buy black 100 denier tights, none in stock in M or L .

I also needed some toy stuffing so went up to haberdashery bought some lovely drapey poly leaves fabric for a blouse and the assistant got some toy stuffing from the back for me as they had run out in the shop floor. I spent my money in haberdashery but will order tights online from M&S / anywhere else.

So I spent my money where they had stock!

Maud I used to live in the same area (well not in the area but quite near) to dear departed Pratts of Streatham! Streatham HIgh Street hasn't been the same since.

My mum who certainly wasn't a wealthy woman went there all the time from everything to material and haberdashery for our clothes to shoes for us, to tights as presents (with diamante etc on), to first bra for me, electrical good etc - when we were kids.

Talk about not knowing your core customer base. Bikini/Brazilian waxes are hugely age skewed. Those aged 45+ with enough money to frequent JL don't usually want a bikini wax. But they do often want haberdashery, especially as a lot of small haberdashery shops have closed.

In our John Lewis they already have a Clarins spa and Kuoni holiday shop. I'm sure they don't need more... although I don't know if they serve prosecco.

What they need is a GOOD haberdashery, not just a bit of this and a bit of that.

Oh, and to move stuff around so I don't have to fight through the overpowering perfumes on the way in.

Apparently JL are already backtracking in the press this morning about this. Well, her career as CEO is off to a good start then...

I'd quite like it if it closed and then a revivial in craft and sewing meant smaller local haberdashery shops would open...
I've only bought from JL haberdashery as a last resort as it does seem comparatively expensive. Sadly alternative places have closed so I tend to buy online now.

wrong wrong wrong

even a petition!

Definitely GBBO all over again. They regret it...

oops, forgot the link www.change.org/p/everyone-who-s-ever-bought-a-button-keep-john-lewis-haberdashery-depts-open

Fran I agree about the Birmingham haberdashery. It's horrid. Tiny, poorly lit, stock shoved in any old how, very unloved. What is especially worrying is that the Birmingham JL must be its most recent opening, so is it indicative of the way things are going?
A good haberdashery/sewing/knitting shop will have you going in for a couple of buttons/piece of elastic and have you coming out loaded with fabrics or wools that you just couldn't resist. I came out of the JL haberdashery with no desire to buy anything - it was totally dispiriting.
BTW I notice that this year's Sewing Bee winner Charlotte Walker has tweeted and JL has responded about this.

• Not Charlotte Walker, Charlotte Newland

Rennie I'm always on the lookout for more fabric sources, would you care to share the name of the German website. I'm finding it harder to buy fabric from any source and Ebay is a last resort. Fabric needs to be felt, staring at a little square is not a tactile experience.
Luckily our town does have a haberdashery and I think it does very well.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37908223

Now saying it won't be closing.

*I'm from the George Henry Lees of Liverpool generation. The haberdashery is a thing of immense importance!

Oh, yes. And just called Lees.*

Me too, and can remember when the front half was the Bon Marché, and I was at BHS 2 years below Chris Lee who was GH's grand-daughter.

YANBU.

Not sure LJ haberdashery was as good as it used to be....but the trend I suspect predates Brexit. The rot started when Harrods ditched their haberdashery and lending library.......

Still, there's Liberty's (much better anyway) and lots of nice independents.

I am sure if someone opened a good haberdashery that also served Prosecco, they'd be on to a winner. I can see a great future for bitch, stich and sip events. Just leave the waxing out of it.

DIALING THAT UP

Ffs.

And you can get Prosecco and waxing everywhere. They already have a load of space downstairs with perfume/makeup for the Beauty Retreat, Blink brow bar etc.

This is top of their Twitter:

Our haberdashery department is open for business & there are no plans to unstitch it! Get crafty this Christmas: bit.ly/2ezN2V2

I have been inspired to go to the Cone Exchange in Harrogate today. It is run by the gloriously eccentric "Captain Rummage" and funded by Betty's and Taylor's (of Betty's Cafe and Yorkshire Tea fame). It has loads of crafty bits, ribbons, remnants, jute coffee sacks, etc. Today I bought 17 reels of cotton (some part-used, but many new, quite a few Gutermann) for £3.00! Look out for their stand at the Knitting and Stitching Show, if you are going.

This is very sad news. My mum bought the fabric for my wedding dress from John Lewis habdashery. And I buy bits and bobs for crafty stuff I occasionally make.

I grew up between Lees in Liverpool and the mothership in Chelsea. I live 3000 miles away now and when I need haberdashery items I go to the JL in the trafford center when I land at Manchester airport. I spent a lot of money in that department because its all the arts and craft supplies that I need for my kids projects or repairing things such as zips, replacing buttons or making duvets (American duvets are different sizes). I might live just outside of NYC but I have yet to find a haberdashery department that rivals what JL has/had.

If they had half a brain they would go back to offering the classes and charge a small fee for them, covered if you buy over a certain amount of things from the department. They do classes here in the US at Michaels and AC Moore. The classes are great for parents to do with their DC. So far we have done different art project classes with the DC. Things like decorate a gingerbread house are great for me to do on a weekend when I am on my own with our 3 DC.

Quite frankly there is absolutely no way that I would get any hair removal done in a department store. I go to a local place that opens at 7am on a Saturday. I go when no one is awake and sneak in, get what needs to be done completed and go home. I also do not have some random stranger wax off my neither bits! Eughhh.

Oh and my DD wears ribbons in her hair that I get from JL. I have taken classes at AC Moore on how to make hair accessories. I just made a bunch of really nice clips for DD's dance troupe and I helped make the hair accessories for our school cheer team. The ribbon is excellent quality compared to what I get here in the US and cheaper with the current exchange rate.

Can John Lewis now please sort out its awful Customer Services Phoneline please.

It doesn't say they're getting rid of haberdashery though, just adding and focusing on waxing etc.

I guess they're trying to move into Selfridges/Harvey Nicks territory. I hope they can pull it off; this kind of thing done badly is REALLY bad.

For Northern ladies there is always the wonderful Bombay stores at Bradford ,and of course Duttons for Buttons and Boyes as previously mentioned