Plural of haberdashery; shops or sections of stores that sell small articles of personal wear or clothing accessories.
From Middle English haberdasher, possibly from Old French 'le bas de chausses' (the lower part of hose) or related to wares of unidentified origin. The term has meant 'merchant of small wares' since medieval times.
Haberdasheries were the convenience stores of the 1800s—before malls, they were where people bought buttons, ribbons, needles, and stockings, making them social hubs where gossip traveled faster than goods.
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