dry-goods store; fabric shop
A shop that sells cloth, textiles, and related sewing supplies. The term is somewhat traditional and may be less common in modern urban settings, where 生地屋 or 布屋 are also used.
My grandmother used to buy kimono fabric at the local dry-goods store.
An old-fashioned fabric shop still remains on this street.
Standard kanji spelling for a dry-goods store.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen in signage or casual writing.
Compound of 切れ (kire, 'piece of cloth') and 屋 (ya, 'shop'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern for naming traditional retail stores.