About 3 years ago I lost a button on a nice short winter coat. Something I hadn't worn much, that cost maybe $200. There were no extra buttons that came with it. I stopped wearing the coat until I could replace the button.

I cut another button off so I could take it for comparison to the only fabric store left around and found that there were a relatively small selection of buttons. Small compared to what I remembered when I used to sew my own clothes many years ago and there were aisles and aisle full of buttons.

I stopped in another fabric store about 6 months later and found that they also had a relatively small selection of buttons...nothing like the one I lost.

I let the coat sit in the closet for a couple of years. A few weeks ago I brought the coat to the first fabric store and hoped I would find a functional button of the right size that wouldn't clash. But I didn't. I bought some thread and a needles. I told the clerk my story. She said, "Well, nowadays most people would probably just buy a new coat".

Lose a button, buy a new coat? People don't replace buttons any more? In this economy?

So I went to Walmart and found some buttons that are the right size and am sewing them on now. At least the Chinese are still making replacement buttons...