The Haberdashery Hawker

 

I recall a hawker who sold haberdashery goods, commonly referred to as "Jarum" (meaning needle in Malay). It was essentially a stall that catered to the needs of housewives who took to sewing perhaps clothes for their families. In the fifties, many items of clothing that are now commonplace and easily available were not found in shops, and had to be tailored. Basic items like underclothes were usually home tailored, and housewives had to undertake the task , as it would not have been thinkable to have underclothing tailored by professionals and having to pay for the service.

There were also those who took needlework and tailoring as hobbies and took their pleasures or indulgences to a much higher plane by using and honing their skills to produce exquisite pieces of work such as quilting, embroidery work on garments, or merely creating fashionable clothes.

This particular hawker had for sale threads of all hues and thicknesses, and for the hobbyists and tailoring enthusiasts, materials that would meet their requirements, perhaps goods of better quality and sophistication.

There were needles of varying sizes and refinements, tailoring chalk, needle threading devices, thimbles, and even pieces of wax either to be used  as a pin/needle-cushion or to wax needles and thread.

Instead of shouting out his wares as some hawkers did, this particular hawker had a unique tool. He used a small hand-held miniature drum with two small beads to beat on the skins on both sides, as it was twisted in his hand, somewhat like a rattler to make that familiar sound to announce his presence.