In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing store that sells suits, shirts, neckties, men's dress shoes, and other items.
Haberdashers (notions shop) in Białystok, Poland
Haberdashers (notions shop) in Dover, UK
Image: Bordeaux P1080876
Image: Bordeaux P1080879
In sewing and haberdashery, notions are small objects or accessories, including items that are sewn or otherwise attached to a finished article, such as buttons, snaps, and collar stays. Notions also include the small tools used in sewing, such as needles, thread, pins, marking pens, elastic, and seam rippers. The noun is almost always used in the plural. The term is chiefly in American English. It was also formerly used in the phrase "Yankee notions", meaning American products. A fabric store will have a section or department devoted to notions, and a spool of thread is considered a notion.
Some sewing notions: a pin cushion, pins, buttons, hooks and eyes, seam ripper, and sewing chalk