Buying craft supplies in Hong Kong

*******This post was updated on 18/04/2016**********

As I have mentioned on more than one occasion, shopping in Hong Kong can be a very frustrating experience, especially if you are new here and want to buy something very specific! There are very few big chain stores so it can be hard to know where to go. I have found that the same is true for buying craft supplies. In the UK, you can pretty much rely on Hobbycraft for most things, but I knew of a few other chains where I might be able to find crafty things so I could generally find what I want (plus internet shopping is great in the UK compared to here, although I do now have a post on online shopping in Hong Kong). However, in Hong Kong it is a different story.

I’ve been in Hong Kong for a while now and over time I have had some success in finding craft supplies so I thought I’d share with you the ones that I have found in the hope that it helps you too!

Sham Shui Po

This is well known in Hong Kong as being a great area to get craft supplies such as beads and fabric. Leave the Sham Shui Po MTR station by exit C2 and walk straight ahead one block (through the market) to the next street, which is Yu Chau Street. This street has lots of bead shops in particular, mostly clustered one block either side of where you are now. I find that a lot of the jewellery supplies aren’t that great quality, so I buy some of my supplies for the shop from here but not many. But for someone who just wants to make jewellery for fun it’s bead heaven!

Here are some of the shops that I like to buy jewellery supplies from:

• A&A Accessory Co (211 Yu Chau Street) – sequins and seed beads
• Lap Sun Gem Company (192 Yu Chau Street) – semi-precious gemstone beads
• Mee Ngai Wah (289-291 Yu Chau Street) – sterling silver findings and wire
• Star River (283 Yu Chau Street) – wide range of metal chains, findings, spacer beads and seed beads
• Universe Accessories Ltd (Shop C, 213-217 Yu Chau Street) – large selection of bead caps, spacer beads and (probably fake but still pretty) Swarovski crystals

This street is also great for buttons and ribbon, and some other haberdashery, and this continues onto the next parallel street further away (Ki Lung Street). There’s one little shop on Ki Lung Street where I’ve been a few times for sewing supplies such as fusible interfacing, elastic and felt. There are also several shops in this area selling leather and lace.

I found that Sham Shui Po isn’t quite the fabric heaven that I was led to believe. If you continue south-east on Yu Chau Street or Ki Lung Street and cross over the large road (Nam Cheong Street) there are loads and loads of fabric shops but they are all full of small swatches of fabric and most only sell wholesale to businesses. There are a very small number of fabric shops in this area which have bolts of fabric (you have to seek them out), and also a row of market stalls along Ki Lung Street which sell fabric from bolts.

However, all is not lost. If you head back north-east to the intersection of Yen Chow Street and Lai Chi Kok Road, you come to the Yen Chow Street hawker bazaar, which is crammed full of fabric stalls! I’ve been twice now and many of the stall owners weren’t around but they have a phone number on their stall which you can call if you want to buy some fabric. I was a bit apprehensive about this, but I had found some fabric I wanted to buy so I rang the number and asked if the guy spoke English. He did have a little English and after about 30 seconds he came round the corner! So I don’t know if all the stallholders are hanging about nearby or if I just got lucky, but it’s always worth a try :)

Western Market

The top floor of the Western Market in Sheung Wan also houses a number of fabric sellers, which may be more convenient if you are on Hong Kong island. It’s in a beautiful building, so worth taking a look just for that! It can be found at 323 Des Voeux Road Central (but you can’t really miss it).

Tailor and Alteration Needlework Club

This little gem is well hidden away in Causeway Bay (and there is another one in Kwun Tong but I haven’t visited that one) but is worth seeking out for all things sewing, knitting and crochet related! It’s a pretty small shop but crammed with fabric, wool and associated tools and accessories (plus loads of Japanese magazines). Well worth a look if you fancy a rummage. The lady who runs it is very friendly and helped me find the things I want and explained what was what because a lot of the tools and accessories had Japanese packaging. Tailor & Alteration is on the 14th floor of the Kin Tak Fung Commercial Building, 467-473 Hennessey Road, Causeway Bay, and can also be found at Room C 12/F, Block 1, Yip Fat Factory Building, 77 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon.

Cheung Nam Stationery

Also known as CN Square, apparently this place is the largest stationery store in Hong Kong. It’s certainly impressive, spread over four floors with a different theme on each (office supplies, craft supplies, art supplies etc) and a huge range of products. This should probably be your first port of call if you’re trying to find something specific craft related. Head to 503 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei to check it out!

Artland

Artland is an art supplies shop in Wanchai which also has a fairly large range of craft supplies as well. It’s definitely one of the places I go to if I’m looking for something craft-related. I think the prices are a little inflated because there are so few stores like this in Hong Kong but it’s not too bad. Artland is on the 3rd floor of the Lockhart Centre, 301-307 Lockhart Road, Wanchai.

The Art Shop

The Art Shop has a great selection of art supplies, and some crafty materials too. It’s hidden up a flight of stairs so I just happened to come across it by chance one day. I didn’t compare the prices to Artland, but it makes a great alternative I think. You can find it at Upper 1/F, 36-40 Johnston Road, Wanchai.

Stationery shops

I love all the little independent stationery shops in Hong Kong – they’re everywhere and they all have a great range of stationery supplies, and most have some craft supplies too. It’s a bit hit and miss in terms of what a given shop will have but it’s worth looking round a few if you’re looking for something in particular. I won’t give the addresses of any here as there are just too many! You normally don’t have to go looking too far before you find one :)

Craft Supplies Store

I only stumbled upon this stop yesterday by accident but the name suggests it might be perfect for craft supplies! Craft Supplies Store isn’t that big and in my opinion has a slightly eclectic range of supplies but definitely worth a browse. I visited the one in Wanchai but apparently there’s one in Mongkok too. Here are the addresses: G/F, 173 Sai Yee Street, Mongkok, Kowloon & G/F, Sun Hey Mansion, 68-76 Hennessey Road, Wanchai.

Student Exercise & Education Co., Ltd.

This place is a bit out of the way but it has a fairly wide range of craft supplies (stamping, needle felting, clay etc), and it seems to be all Japanese goods. If you go to Anhui Street, just off Ma Tau Wai Road, you can’t miss it – the street is very short and there’s a massive sign saying ‘Art and Craft’ in English! (but the name of the shop is in Chinese) The official address is: Shop No.6, G/F Kar Shun Bldg, 238 Mau Tau Wai Road, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon.

Popular Books

Popular Books has many outlets around Hong Kong. The one near me has a pretty good range of basic craft supplies and stationery so it’s the most convenient place for me to pick up some supplies. The list of stores can be found here.

Living Plaza by Aeon

I recently stumbled upon Living Plaza, and I was in heaven! Basically it’s Hong Kong’s version of Poundland – pretty much everything in there is HK$12. They have some art and craft supplies in there, so if you want something cheap it’s a great place to have a nose around. Again, there are loads of them so take a look at this list to find your nearest one.

Cheer Wool

I saw this shop from the bus a while ago and again only went in for the first time yesterday but this wool shop has a very wide selection of types and brands of yarn and some other craft supplies too such as needle felting kits and embroidery supplies. I think it would fulfil most knitting-related or crochet-related needs! I bought some wool for another nursery project, but you’ll have to wait and see what it is! Cheer Wool can be found at G/F, Shanghai Industrial Investment Building, 48-62 Hennessy Road, Wanchai.

Here are some other places that I’ve heard of but not tried out yet. I really want to check them out though!

Artsman – Flat A, 2/F, Kiu Hong Mansion, 3 Tin Lok Lane, Wanchai

Kwong Yick Art & Design Materials Ltd – 169 Sai Yee St, Mong Kok

HK Art Supplies Professional – 77 Bute St, Mong Kok

International Art Supplies – Room 14, 17/F., Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 1, No.60 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan & Shop No. 6, UG/F., Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East

Age Fine Arts & Co, 97 Kwong Fuk Road, Tai Po

Double Knit Yarn – 1/F, 179 Fa Yuen Street, Mongkok

Fliegen Scrapbook & Craft Store – Room B, 5/F, Savoy Mansion, 49 Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Paper Art – 1/F, Hung Tak Building, 106-108 Des Voeux Road, Central

Tree Children’s Lodge – range of felting, art and craft supplies. 2/F 10 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay.

The Crafties – co-working craft space which hosts a range of workshops and also has supplies for sale. 1/F Sing Kui Commercial Building, No. 27 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan

For online only paper supplies, take a look at Mei Li Paperie and Paper Crafts. If you’re interested in paper stamping, take a look at Bymamalaterre – she’s so talented! (and you can buy her stamp creations and make beautiful things yourself!) Also, check out Knit Cat Cafe for yarn and knitting supplies.

Apparently, the HK Knitting & Crochet Facebook group has a great list of yarn stores, but you need to be a member of the group to see it.

Another Facebook group that I would highly recommend is Hong Kong craft lovers. A great group of people to ask for help from if you still don’t know where to buy what you want!

So that’s about it for the places that I know to buy craft supplies in Hong Kong. Do you know of anywhere else? Please leave a comment below and let me know! I love to find new places :)

Thanks for reading!

Rachel