Quick update on DDM fabric market

I received a comment from a reader about going to DDM and finding it closed. Based on the date of the comment, it sounded like she was there on a Friday. On this particular Friday I also happened to be at the fabric market so I know it wasn't closed. Maybe she got there in the evening? The Dong Dae Mun area is known for their 24/7 shopping but this excludes the fabric market. The only other day of the regular week the fabric market is closed is on Sundays (ask me how I know...). They also close earlier on Saturdays, most vendors start shutting down at 3PM.

The small parking lot to the east of the fabric complex is now under construction. The wall around this tiny area says a JW Marriott- Dong Dae Mun is being built. This will work out for me when I come to Seoul to visit in the future, but that is such a small parcel of land on which to build a hotel.

It was recently confirmed to me by a former garment industry insider that the DDM fabric complex is the largest textile market in the world. I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to get to know this place very well in the past year and a half. 

One other piece of news for fabricholics... Happy Quilt will be moving to another location in June. I will post more details to the location when I get more info. The new warehouse will be close to a subway station so hopefully it will be easier to get there using public transport than where they are now.

The last time I was at HQ I came back with a whole bolt of white linen. Yes my friends, an entire bolt. You were all wondering when this was finally going to happen, weren't you? I plan to make draperies for our new place in the US with this. It was *only* about 25 yards.... They actually ended up weighing the bolt to estimate the yardage for me. This is white linen we're talking about, if I run out of windows to cover I can always make a garment. (Wow, just move us to Europe to complete the modern day Von Trapp family picture.. minus all the kids ofcourse.)

Happy Quilt, I love you!

Nothing new or exciting are coming from my sewing corner. I need to finish the quilt top for the MIL and a couple of small projects before I pack up the machines. I've been finding myself knitting more than sewing lately. I am very much looking forward to having all of my notions, books and machines in one place when we get back to the states. By early summer I expect to have many projects to share. Hope you're all being more productive than I have been this month!

Fabric shopping in Seoul at Dong Dae Mun, Part I

Seoul is any shopper's paradise for retail goods. Fortunately for me, it's also a place to find raw materials for my crafting hobbies. Dong Dae Mun (a.k.a. DDM) shopping area is where wholesalers go to buy their ready-to-wear merchandise. These malls and markets are also open to the general public and the area is most famous for its night markets (open until 4 am for the hardcore consumer).

My favorite area at Dong Dae Mun is the fabric market. If you want to go by the name on the buildings, it's Dong Dae Mun Shopping Complex. Here's how to get there by subway- you can Google for a full picture of the Seoul Metro system map. I've never driven there and only took the bus once so traveling underground is my usual MO:

Subway Line 4 (light blue)
Dong Dae Mun stop, Exit 9

Do not get off at the Dong Dae Mun History and Cultural Park stop. If you do, exit 13 will be the closest one to DDM and you will need to walk about 5 minutes. Refer to the picture (click to enlarge) for the general direction of where that stop will spit you out in the area.

Once you've arrived:
Coming up the stairs of exit 9, you will find building C of the shopping complex to the left of you after you pass a small newspaper stand and the edge of the surface parking lot of DDM. You can enter from a "main" entrance right next to the information booth, or find one of many other entrances along the buildings.

Navigating the 4 interconnected buildings with floors for shopping:
Building A- basement to 5th floor

Building B- basement to 5th floor

Building C- basement to 5th floor
The only 2 elevators in the market are in this building, the 5th floor of C does not have vendors, follow the signs when you get off the elevators to get to the 5th floor of Building A and B. I think this building goes higher but they are all offices beyond the 5th floor.

Building D- 1st to 4th floor (I'm pretty sure this building doesn't have a basement, at least I haven't been to the basement of D if it exists)

These 4 buildings are interconnected either by a "bridge" or with open walls to each other. If you aren't paying attention you will go from one building to the next without realizing the change. Each vendor has a sign over their stall that includes the shop's name, their phone number, and their identifying stall information. This is the format: the building letter, the floor they are on, and the actual vendor stand. In the picture below you can find this vendor in D-3-1811: building D, floor 3, area 1811 (all on the top left hand corner of the blue sign- click picture to enlarge).

Most of the time these stalls are in numerical order, but not always. As long as you have a general idea of where you are you shouldn't have to walk too far to find where you need to be. In the main aisles of each floor there are usually signs hanging from the ceiling to point to where 2 other buildings are in relation to you. Most of the time they are accurate but in my earlier trips I ran into a few that took me to no man's land. If you can mentally map out the layout of the 4 buildings you shouldn't have a problem hopping from building to building.

There are stairs in the middle of each building, some of the buildings have escalators too.

Operating hours during the week: 9 am -5 pm, 9 am -3 pm on Saturdays, closed on Sundays. On Saturdays the 5th floor vendors stay later than 3 (maybe up to 5 pm?) but most people on the lower floors start packing up around 2:30 pm. 

Things to be aware of when shopping:
-Old men (ajishis) carrying wooden racks filled with bolts of fabric on their back. Steer clear of the way when they are moving up and down the stairs or in the aisles, they will push you if need be. I can't blame them, bolts of fabric are heavy!!
-Space is tight and it's always busy. Bring a backpack if need be and I would wear it in the front for easier manipulation when moving/turning around tight corners.
-Any floor above the 1st floor will be quite warm in the winter. Wearing layers is essential to staying comfortable. The buildings are air conditioned in the summer but it can get warm too. 

-Restrooms are readily available by the stairs on each floor but most are squat style for the ladies, BYOTP- bring your own toilet paper.

-Filtered water from coolers is free on all floors, also usually found by the staircases

-The elevator button pushing ladies have *gorgeous* uniforms!!! I personally would kill myself if I had a job that involved pushing buttons all day long, maybe the cute clothes are supposed to help make it bearable. (I found this picture on Google)

With this information you should be able to get to the fabric market. How to find anything there will be covered in an upcoming entry, along with a quick run down of places to grab some food before you shop. I also want to tell you about the fabric shopping at Gwang Jang market, a great place to find cheaper remnants from DDM.