The mom of Carlo is a "suki" (loyal customer) here. So, when he said it was time to buy the fabric…read morefor his suit, his mom knew where to go and when. Yes, we went here the morning of Chinese New Year! There were so many people! But, there were discounts in all the stores. :) To get to the shop, you have to squeeze your way to the Yangco Market building. Once you're inside you have to walk to the very end. The shop will be right in front of a Barong and Jusi shop. The reason why we went all the way to this shop (honestly, this section of Binondo is the fabrics and textiles area) is because Carlo's brother bought his fabrics for his wedding at this same shop. So, of course, we expected discounts! The fabrics here are of very good quality and, from what the owner told us, is sourced from the "original" fabric warehouses. Not sure if that's true but, I felt the quality in the fabrics he showed us. Note: we made the mistake of saying that we were making a suit for the groom. The fabric price for a groom's suit to a normal suit is way higher. We did get a discount but, seriously the same fabric was Php200 less when you say it's a normal suit.

Very bad customer service!!! I called them on their landline, and they say the signal is bad he…read morecan't hear the material i was looking for. I texted the materials to their company number and gave it a couple of mins before calling them again. And when I called he was so rude saying he didnt get the text yet and for me to call back. I wouldnt have mind if I have to call back but the way he says it. And I called again and still got the same arrogant tone. Even scolding me for asking a question. Is that how you treat customers??? The arrogant staff is named William. I hope management will do something about the situation.

They sold me too much fabric for a dress. They could have recommended less. Ended up paying for an…read moreextra yard.

We went to the SM Southmall branch to buy fabrics, and this guy with a beard (who looked bored with…read morehis job) 'assisted' us. We were having second thoughts about the color he gave us--it was way different from the sample we had. When we asked if there was any other fabric that matched the sample, he just shrugged us off and went to assist another customer. He was rude and definitely not helpful. When we finally chose the fabric, he charged us for both fabrics.

On my way to Tabora from Ylaya, I pass through the bodega and end up in this store. I've had a lot…read moreof transactions here back in my college days mostly for the basics, and the lots of tools that they offer. I've bought threads, bobbins and cases, fabric puncher, eyelet tools and the eyelets themselves, scissors, tape measures, pins in bulk--just ask them, they probably have it! I also love the wide variety of garment (and bag) closures they sell here. They have durable ordinary zippers that I prefer to use than those super breakable invisible ones, and they carry a lot of products from a trusted zipper brand, YKK. I saw a lot of jacket zipper variant even (the ones that have metal teeth) and in a lot of colors. If you have some weird zipper fetish (like me), go crazy. Have I mentioned that I zipper-hoarded here? Nope, you don't need to know that.

This is one shop I never not go to whenever I'm in Tabora, especially when I'm looking for…read moreembellishments that I need in bulk. Like when I did a gown of Elsa for a client before. That little sumb'ch needed more than a hundred snowflake-shaped sequins. If I bought them in Carolina's smaller packs, I probably would've spent around 500 pesos. But I actually saw a better version here from their wide selection of bulk sequins. One pack was just 85 pesos. Talk about huge savings. I also love the way the store's semi-complete. This is where I buy my fusing 'cause they have the usual thickness that I needed for gowns, among others. They too sell a lot of yarns and ribbons here, which I normally have zero use for, except for DIY cat toys.

I usually refer to this shop as "the awesome button place at divi" my entire life, until now, when…read moreI had to dig deep into my stacked receipts just to know its name for Yelp purposes. I kid you not, this is one amazing shop that will make you shake your head and realize that you will never ever see a place with so much buttons in your life. Possibly even ever again. (Unless of course, you'll go to another shop equivalent in India, hah). I just cannot stress over how much buttons they have in stock here. And it's not just buttons you would see in your everyday garment. They have buttons for ANY kind of clothing you can ever come up with in your head. I'm not exaggerating. The selections of colors, designs, shapes, and sizes of buttons here is CRAZY. Whenever I go here, I just awe at everything. In fact, I already memorized the placing of the buttons, like for example, this side has the golden Victorian-ish ones, and this corner has the ones with gems in them, or this side has the boring plastic ones. It's just a really fun experience for any crafting or sewing enthusiast, or a button-hogging dork like me. You can buy a really "mayaman-looking" button here for 4-5 pesos each. Sometimes, when the button design gets complicated, you can get them for 8 pesos and above. But seriously, I don't even care. There's probably no shop out there I can get those for way less, anyway. I button-hoard from here. A LOT. I just regret never really taking a picture of the shop's interior or exterior, or the beauties for sale. Most of the time, my face is just tightly glued against the glass and nothing can ever pry it off.

This shop is like a refuge from the unforgiving exo-divi atmosphere. Usually, when I Tabora…read moreshop-hop, I end up in Everson (and Wellmanson) towards the end, cause it's kinda near the end of the street. So when I enter, the super relieving air-conditioning was some sort of unhealthy rejuvenation from all the sweat bestowed upon you by the sun. I guess this shop is more for the crafty people and not the sewing people. But I still frequent it, looking for stuff I can invest on, like swarovsky-looking beads. They always work well in gowns, and they come really cheap. And then, I leave when I'm all freshened-up. They have a lot of cute ribbons though, and those little flowerettes you can glue on your scrapbooks. They have those in rubbon form though, so you have to cut them individually. But that's the fun of it, don't you agree? This shop is a must visit for all you thrifty crafters, and for those who wants an aircon break from their divi quest. The latter is free!

There are lots of places in divisoria where you can get laces in bulk, or as the vendors fondly…read morecall it "de-tali". You can get them for super bargain prices that you can buy two or three bundles for the price of five yards of your regular Carolina's lace. Then again, the good thing about Carolina's is that you have choices laid out in front of you. There's no risk (or little, if there is) of buying the wrong lace for your project. So it's price or convenience--you pick. In Bonyee Merchandising, you won't even have to! Their walls are literally plastered with laces, it's like a huge library o' laces, with viewable samples in clearbooks you can ask from the staff! Their lace designs possibly number in the thousands, and all you have to do is to walk through the shelves and shelves of 'em! I would warn you though, the laces here are not too dressy and elaborate. There are some along that line, but you wouldn't find something expensive-looking. There's not much corded, embroidered, beaded, and very detailed bridal laces. If I were to put a lace from here on a garment, it's most likely going to be made of cotton, and very casual, or boho--YEAH! That's the perfect word. Boho laces! As for the price, expect them to be 20 pesos per yard and below. It will go up depending on the width of the lace. I think some laces are sold by the pack, so it's pretty much a good bargain!

Compared to its neighboring businesses in the area, Wellmanson presents itself like a glittering,…read moregolden boutique staffed by well-dressed ladies in blazers and pencil skirts assisting you in buying stuff you likely don't really need. Sure you might have just come in to get a pair of nice pliers or leatherette cord to make accessories with, but you will be bewildered with the wealth of other DIY craft items and supplies and gift items in general. Where else would you be able say "Look at these beads!" and "Check out this dog hair trimmer!" in the same breath? They have mini water fountains, and toy brick sets, and thighmasters and who knows what else. They're like a mini-mall oasis in the middle of Quiapo. The place is somewhat labyrinthine in structure, and while it is fun to look around and see what the next room holds, it does get confusing if you're really looking for something specific. Their payment system is also a bit of a pain--though professional looking, it's a little cumbersome to line up to get your items priced, *and then* have to pay for them in a separate line. Also, there are these curious pulley baskets that have ropes leading to dark holes in the ceiling... You know if you're going to browse through stores in Quiapo and DV and its nearby areas that you're just getting into a trap, because if you think you're window shopping without buying anything, you're kidding yourself. Wellmanson knows this for a fact and has set out to have you do exactly that.

Hear ye, hear ye, passionate beaders. Feeling a bit crafty?…read more The whole stretch of the street where Wellmanson is located is full of shops selling beads and whatnot! Villalobos Street is the place to be if you are looking for new craft projects, specially accessories. It's the disneyland of crafter's everywhere. I've lost one whole day just going through each one of he shops in there, checking out the craft supplies and beads. Wellmanson's my favourite store so far and the biggest I've been into among the ones on the street. I've never seen so many craft supplies in one store. Beads of all kind and sizes are found there, prices ranging from very cheap to expensive ones like the swarovski. I went here one Saturday afternoon and it was packed with manangs like me :p They have ready made accessories like necklaces, watches and bracelets... but the best part of the store for me is where they sell the raw materials. Twines, nylons, charms, beads.. the whole nine yards of it. They even have those hooks for earrings and locks for bracelets, of different sizes, color and shapes. They also have those organizer where you can keep your beads inside, pattern boards, tools like pliers. I enjoyed myself too much shopping in there :)