My husband's job took him to Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday, and I decided to tag along. On his days off we explored the sights of Villahermosa, visited the ancient ruins of Palenque, and of course shopped in several fabric stores.
Getting around town was an experience itself, but we were able to make it work, most of the time! (While my husband and I don't speak Spanish fluently, I did utilize the two years of high school Spanish that I do remember.) Anyways, we were able to make it to the tourist spots without any problems, but communication came to a halt when it came to searching for a fabric store. Perhaps this was because all of our taxi drivers were men, or because my directions got lost in translation (the real reason)!
The first driver took us to several chain stores that resembled an American Wal-Mart. The fabric departments consisted of rolls upon rolls of polar fleece, lace tablecloth fabric, and pre-quilted 'Disney' material. There wasn't anything that I could use, that didn't resemble something came out of the 80's.
The following weekend, my husband's coworker told him about a store near a hotel in downtown Villahermosa that might sell fabric. So without the name of the store, or directions we gave the taxi driver the name of the hotel and off we went. My hubby and I peered out of both windows looking for anything that resembled a fabric store. Just when I was about to give up, I noticed a store window with a variety of fabric hanging from the ceiling. I told the driver, "Alto" (stop?), and agreed to meet back in an hour.
The store was as busy as Joann Fabric on 'Black Friday'. Customers were lined up to get fabric cut, and another line was twenty people deep just to check out. We found a staircase in the back of the store, and upstairs found a sea of cotton/upholstery/decor/and knit fabric. I was in heaven!
We spent nearly half an hour walking up and down the aisles, checking out prices, fabric, and trying to pick out a few items to take home. My husband was so patient, holding the rolls, while I decided between all of the choices available. Finally I narrowed it down to four fabrics, had them cut, priced, the employee then carried them up to a desk by the stairwell. I followed the other customers and stood and waited in the first check out line, once I paid I was then escorted to where the fabric was waiting for me by the staircase. After I handed over my receipt, I was then given my fabric and allowed to leave. This must be the most secure fabric shop I have ever been to!
This entire trip was amazing, and I hope to return someday to have another adventure of shopping for fabric in Mexico!
