Meaning
A dealer in small sewing and dressmaking sundries such as buttons, ribbons, thread and needles.
Description
Haberdashers sold the small items essential to sewing and dressmaking — buttons, hooks, thread, tape, ribbon, pins, needles, elastic and trimmings of all kinds. The haberdasher's counter was a familiar feature of draper's shops and department stores, as well as independent specialist shops. In earlier centuries the term had a broader meaning covering a range of small goods. A haberdasher of hats was a distinct trade in the medieval period. The trade required a keen eye for fashion and knowledge of a wide range of small goods.
Also Known As
Smallware Dealer, Notion Dealer
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Trade Directories
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