Bon Fabrics

Been going there for nearly 50 years That must speak for itself

Always a pleasure to pop in, owner is lovely and helpful, and has a lovely selection of fabrics to pick from! Would highly recommend a trip there if you’re in the area and love sewing!

If you ever take a ride on a bus, you are bound to overhear little old ladies rant on about: A) the price of a good piece of tongue (cow tongue from the butcher’s you mucky lot) and B) the lack of haberdashers any more. They obviously haven’t discovered Bön Fabrics in Urmston Town Centre– perhaps one of the last of a dying breed.
This is a proper material shop where reams of cotton and voile are cut to order in front of your very eyes. And there are buttons! Now, buttons are the bane of my life; I don’t know why but if there is a button around, you can guarantee that it will pop off in my presence. Maybe I am the David Blaine of the haberdashery world? Perhaps I just magic them off clothes by mind control and without laying one manicured finger on them. Well whatever it is, I ALWAYS need buttons and Bön Fabrics comes to my rescue. There is something strangely comforting about standing around yards of fabric and bales of wool. It might be a latent repressed memory of being a contented baby stuffed into home– made matinée jackets and bootees by my talented Aunty Joyce. Who knows?
It is certainly not my intention to patronise the older generation at all. Knitting is now a Hollywood craze and a birdie tells me that Gwyneth is a bit partial to a knit one pearl one. Bön Fabrics does not just cater to those in the twilight of their lives, it has a whole array of fancy-​dress outfits for children and adults. You can barely move in this shop at Christmas and Easter time when harassed mothers are forced to make outfits for their little darlings’ school plays and Easter Bonnet Parades. I particularly like Bön Fabrics at Halloween when my inner vamp (or vampire) starts bearing its fangs. Whether I require a wig, facepaints or other accessories, this shop will have it.
Service can be quite slow as the ladies who run the shop like to give their undivided attention to their customers for as long as it takes, and no disrespect, but it CAN take a long time. This can be a touch frustrating when all you need to buy is a yard of ribbon for 50p. I would not say that the owners are brimming over with amicability either. They are serious sewers who rarely crack a smile. However, I have returned here again and again– well I always need buttons.
P. S. try saying haberdashery when you have had a few drinks– I seem to say have a daiquiri. Odd that!

This a gem of a shop wheither you are totally hopeless at sewing (like me) or a real expert (nothing like me!) you will get fantastic service, great advice (if needed-​never forced on you) loads of fabric and patterns to choose from and a very friendly welcome.
I am rubbish at anything crafty but occasionally need things from here. The level of service and welcome is exactly the same wheither you are buying something like wunderweb by the meter (I do this a lot!) or fabric and pattern for a dress.
The lady that owns it is really helpful and listens to what you want rather than trying to sell stuff that you don’t need.
For a few years they have also had fancy dress items to buy such as hats, chest wigs (!) funny wigs and wings. That side of the business seems to be expanding but the fabric side of the shop is still going strong.
This is a friendly, well run business with a real interest in helping their customers.