Wufenpu Wholesale Clothes Market (五分埔服飾商圈) @ Taipei [Taiwan]

I am going to start by giving everyone a clear, to-your-face indication of Wufenpu's location. I can't stress enough on the frustration for the lack of directions online; i am a shy person by nature and dislike asking strangers for help!

As you could probably see from the Google Map i attached, the wholesale garment market is relatively near to Houshanpi subway station. My recommendation is for avid shoppers to try the famous braised pork rice (luroufan) at Formosa Zhang first before entering Wufenpu where you can spend hours digging for good buys. 

It would be a photo post today. Frankly, blogging is quite a time-consuming affair for me (it doesn't help that i don't really have a good grasp of the English language and display an utter lack of creative vocabulary) and i would like to catch up on some sleep tonight!

A jacket for less than S$7? That's possible in Wufenpu! 

I visited at a late 8 pm on a Wednesday; crowd was thin and some shops appeared to be closed for the day. When i google about Wufenpu, one of the key searches was on the operation hours. 

Although it was said to be from 11 am till about 11 pm / 12 noon daily, i personally felt that the actual hours largely depend on the shopkeepers. 

Ladies would go crazy in Wufenpu! It was obvious that a high percentage of the shops had ladies as their target audience. 

The men were not neglected and Alex came out of a shop looking extremely delighted with his purchase. When we talk about wholesale market for clothes, the one that frequently popped out in the mind of many Singaporeans would be Platinum Mall in Bangkok.

For a person who knows Mandarin and Hokkien, it was much more enjoyable to shop in Wufenpu! Quality also appeared to be better with more variety. Furthermore, the shops in Wufenpu have a lot of character; thanks to the fact that it wasn't a shopping complex.

Having said that, the atmosphere wasn't quite like the Chatuchak market in Bangkok as well, which sells more than just clothes! It was all over the place yet with a sense of unspoken tidiness. Weird but true. 

Sadly, i wasn't in the mood to shop that day despite the supposedly good offers. On second thought, i must have already known then that our baggage was way off the permissible weight. 

In addition to my uncanny sixth sense, i was so looking forward to Raohe Night Market and i was aware that it's kinda late! By the way, Alex can be really wishy-washy when it comes to buying things! =_=

Handbags for less than S$10?! I could never understand the love females have towards handbags and shoes. To the boring male species like myself, i just need a handy bag spacious enough to hold my DSLR.

More bags.

Like Chatuchak weekend market, navigation was a pain in the ass. I eventually lost my bearing and had to rely on the help of a stranger to direct me to Raohe night market. 

More clothes on discounts! 

Some of the styles would be well-liked by my mom but i had learnt my lesson a long time ago; spent a long time choosing, paid a not too cheap price and i can see from her eyes that she didn't quite like it then. 

Put it this way; it would be easier to pay and bring her to Taiwan where she can go nuts shopping! Not to mention that mom has always loved travelling to foreign countries! 

Sunglasses for sale! 

Please be careful of motor vehicles! They were the most common mode of transport for goods delivery within Wufenpu and can be relatively reckless! 

Stuff for the kids! Looking at kid shoes reminded me of the time when i was younger and my parents would buy shoes that were a size or two bigger. Knowing how fast kids grow, their point was i would outgrow them in no time at all and they would have to spend money to buy me a new pair! Haha. 

Do you know that Taiwanese shoes are really cheap and comfortable?! 

As an animal lover, these bags attracted my immediate attention.  

Enter the shop and be overwhelmed! Given my limited budget, i could only afford to buy two pieces for my niece and nephew and they looked adorable wearing them!

Another shop i spent more time in was one selling cat-themed t-shirts. Got myself one with a cat vampire and almost got a few for friends. Opted out eventually because i am worried my perception of their clothes size would be way off the scale.

More pictures before i conclude the post! Sorry ah, i still need to do some exercises before i sleep and i was hopping for at least seven hours of rest tonight.

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Location

Near Houshanpi MRT station. Do refer to the map i have attached in the beginning of this post. Given the friendliness of Taiwanese, just ask for help if you need directions!

For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.