February 2, 2018
If you’ve ever wondered where to get wool, cotton, fabric, buttons, needles, braces (aka suspenders), elastic, shoelaces, tapestry kits, Velcro strips and all kinds of textile crafts equipment in central Ljubljana, then Gumb is the place to visit.
Gumb, with its red plastic porch and half empty windows, doesn't look like much of a shopping destination from the outside.
Once you step inside, however, you’ll be surprised by the amount of wonders orderly stashed in rainbows of colours. You will find buttons, clips, and pins you had no idea existed before you entered the shop, but once you have seen them, they make perfect sense.
The shop, once known as Centromerkur, used to spread throughout what is today known as Emporium, the fancy goods store that looks out onto Prešeren Square. Today the store is located in the back of this beautiful building, just under the Slovenian Academy for Theatre, Film and Television, at the beginning of Trubarjeva Street (along with a watch store that also used to be part of Centromerkur).
Centromerkur before renovation, Wikimedia Commons, Yellow book, CC 2.0
Gumb Centromerkur is open from 8:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays.
