The Tailor Shop

Tailor row in Wuhan, China is filled with independent proprietors sandwiched between other merchants—fish, meat, vegetables, soda, etc.—selling their wares. To say it's much different than a shopping mall is an understatement. For clothing, it's all custom. From a marketer's perspective, it's the ultimate in 1:1 marketing. And I got to watch it all in action.

As part of the Bob, Lorraine and Shaw party on Sunday evening, Bob wanted to check in on the business suit he had ordered the previous week. A wool, blue pin striped jacket and matching slacks, he told me that with the keen knowledge and negotiation skills of Shaw (whose sister is a tailor, so he knows his fabric) a great business suit was in the making for him for the sum of $75.

Entering through the plastic strips that hang from the ceiling in most stores here—good for both hot and cold weather it appears, since I'm told Wuhan only has two seasons—the owner immediately welcomed us and motioned for us to sit while a woman hurried to pull us hot cups of Chinese green tea. Warming my gloved hands around the steaming brew I looked at all the varieties of silk, wool and other materials hanging from the walls. A rather sharp, traditional Chinese woman's jacket stood at attention on a tailor's dummy about three feet from me. Incredibly pretty fabric, I thought. As I examined all the tailor's wares, my eyes kept returning to the jacket's material.

While Bob and Shaw attended to Bob's suit details and subsequent order for a second set of slacks, Lorraine and I discussed her earlier purchase of two custom silk blouses for the equivalent of $20. As we sat and sipped our tea another woman came up to the two of us and presented us with about a yard or so of very pretty silk fabric as a "Christmas gift." It's then it hit me...gee, while I'm not interested in clothing, I could buy some of that pretty green silk fabric and take it home. My mother might like to make a pillow.

Negotiations began. With Shaw's help we figured out where the bold of cloth sat, and after much back and forth translation to understand what I wanted, I learned the equivalent of about 3 yards of material and purchased it for 70 RMB (about $4 yard). This was my first purchase here in Wuhan of anything other than food or apartment supplies. Since Wuhan isn't a tourist destination, my next shopping will no doubt occur in Shanghai as I return home.