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The
NYC Garment District
by Paula Nadelstern
www.paulanadelstern.com
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| Introduction It's easy to develop a love/hate relationship with New York. (Take that sentence for example. New Yorkers are so self-centered, we refer to the geographical entity known as Manhattan as New York. We know New York is not only a big city that includes four more boroughs, it's a huge, beautiful and diverse state. But to get you thinking like a New Yorker, I'm going to adopt this reference system and not make any other excuses for it.) It's big, it's loud, it's not easy to do the stuff that's probably easy to do where you come from, like parking or getting to the post office. But you probably aren't thinking of coming to New York because you want to mail a letter or test your parking karma. You might not have been planning to come to New York to fondle fabric either, but think again. New York is a genuine textile lover's shopping mecca. The following recommendations are just a tiny taste of the abundance and variety that overfills the neighborhood known as the Garment District. Instead of hunting for the materials you find in your local quilt shop, expect to bag uncommon species: bargains like mill-ends and cut-rate decorator fabrics, high end goods like silks and fine wools, non-traditional materials like vinyl and metallic, cottons from Indonesia and African. Not to mention shops brimming with embellishments, some arranged with a museum-like precision, others reminiscent of yard sale chaos. The lists are divided into Fabric Shops, Ribbon Stores, Trimmings-Buttons-Beads-Notions, and a few Out-of-the-Garment-District suggestions. Don't be intimidated. Walk into these shops with attitude: THEY are lucky to have YOU shop in their store. But, if you don't want to look like a tourist, don't ask for or expect anyone to know what a Fat Quarter is and don't expect many shops to cut less than 1/2 yard lengths. At the end of this list, after the restaurant suggestions, there is a short version called The Three Hour Guide to the Garment District. In compiling this list, I sought suggestions from fellow quilters wrapped up in the fabric of city life. Welcome to our New York. |
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| FABRIC SHOPS The fabric shops in the garment district are mostly on 39th and 40th Streets, between 7th and 8th Avenues. Although they are open to the public, they cater to the apparel industry, meaning come with an open mind and don't expect many calicoes and traditional quilting fabrics. But don't be shy: ask for cottons. Depending on the season, you could get lucky. Generally, the hours are Monday to Friday 9-6 and Saturday 10-5 (or 4:30). Interestingly, Saturdays are not as busy as weekdays when wholesale customers in the trade make up most of the traffic. A few stores open and close an hour earlier, and some are closed on Saturdays because of religious observance. |
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| B&J 525 Seventh Avenue, between 37th and 38th Streets, 2nd floor (212) 354-8150, www.bandjfabrics.com Open Monday to Saturday |
After 45 years in a multi-level storefront on West 40th Street, B&J Fabrics was forced to move to make way for the new headquarters of The New York Times. Huge selection of expensive, gorgeous, luxury goods. I always start here and I've never regretted a purchase. The stuff I've bought here has become grist for inspiration, sparking new quilts and directions. | |
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| Mood 225 West 37th Floor, 3rd & 4th floors (212) 730-5003, www.moodfabric.com Open Monday to Saturday |
Large warehouse ambiance with knowledgeable staff. The stuff is pricey but for pricey stuff, the prices are good. Many designer end-cuts at great prices. I bought cloth here, shlepped it to Beijing and had a cashmere coat, cashmere pants and two pairs of linen pants made in a week. Come, use the bathrooms and act out your Project Runway fantasy. Consider printing out the lay-outs of each of the thre floors from their website. If you only have an hour and you want to see fabric, start here. | |
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| Paron West, Paron Annex 206 West 40th Street (212) 768-3266, www.paronfabrics.com Open Monday to Saturday |
These two neighboring stores feature designer fabrics. One is full price, the other is half price, and both are definitely worth a visit. Their motto: Your Source for Better Discount Fabrics! | |
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| Lace Star 215 West 40th Street (212) 840-0555 or 840-0440, www.lacestar.com Open Monday to Friday |
Breathtaking lace yardage beyond imagining, including imported and beaded goods. Seems like a store full of lace should be listed under trimmings except this one is stuffed with lace cloth sold by the yard, organized by minute differences in shades of colors, each one more elaborate than the next. Even if you're not looking for lace, it's worth pressing your nose up to the window. | |
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| Sposabella Lace 252 West 40th Street (212) 354-4729, website under construction Open Monday to Saturday |
Manufacturers of specialty bridal headpieces and laces. According to Esther Z. (from Benartex), this shop is filled with yardage of gorgeous, beautiful lace. And when it comes to gorgeous, Esther is a maven. | |
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NY Elegant Fabrics 222 West 40th Street (212) 302-4984 |
An impressive range of beautiful fabrics: silks, woolens, cottons, designer fabrics, laces, imports. I like this venue. | |
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| Butterfly Fabrics 237 West 35th Street #241 (212) 719-9617, www.butterflyfabrics.us/ Open Monday to Saturday |
A full line of metallic silk organza and other wonderful stuff, including a fantastic line of dupioni silks, both 45" and 60" wide, at reasonable prices. (They will offer wholesale prices if you purchase twenty yards.) The proprietors own a factory in India that weaves a two color dupioni seen nowhere else. | |
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| Ayazmoon Fabrics 235 West 40th Street (212) 869-3315, ayazmoon@aol.com Open seven days a week. |
Big array of Chinese silk brocades and beautiful saris. | |
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| Spandex House, Inc. 263 West 38th Street (212) 354-6711, www.spandexhouse.com Open Monday to Saturday |
Suggested by a friend who says it's one of her favorites, since it's such a unique type of store - everything stretches. | |
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| Fabric for Less 239 West 39th Street (212) 391-7504 Open seven days a week |
Best selection of decent fake fur - all the way in the back. | |
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| Beckenstein Fashion Fabrics 32 West 20th Street (212) 366-5142 BeckensteinFabrics.com Open Monday to Saturday, closed on Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day |
Wool suiting, shirting, linens. | |
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Leather Impact Eurotextil |
Everything you could need related to leather.
This is a new address for this upscale store. No minimum purchase required for stock in existence ( but no fat quarters!) Lots of bridal, theater and film type fabrics, some novelties, mainly solids and mainly from Italy |
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| Ribbon Stores Here's a list of the ribbon stores on 38th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, and a few close by additions. (My friend, Robin, wants me to make sure you know that 6th Avenue is also called Avenue of the Americas.) Start at Lord & Taylors on 5th Avenue and walk west. (You might want to stop first at Lord & Taylors to use the facilities.) |
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| So-Good 28 West 38th Street (212) 398-0236 Open Monday to Friday |
A mess of a store; cheapest with huge selection. | |
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| Tinsel Trading 1 West 37th Street (212) 730-1030, www.tinseltrading.com Open Monday to Friday 9:45-5:30 Open some Saturdays/call! |
A ribbon boutique, beautifully arranged by color. | |
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| Hyman Hendler 67 West 38th Street (212) 840-8393, www.hymanhendler.com Open Monday to Friday |
Beautiful and fanciful French silk ribbons and a large selection of grosgrain. Just as dusty and decrepit as So-Good. | |
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| M&J Trimmings (Button store two doors down) 1008 6th Avenue between 37th and 38th Streets (212) 391-9072, www.mjtrim.com Open Monday to Saturday |
This isn't a store, it's an event. The content is mind-boggling: ribbons and sequins and appliques, oh my! M&J Buttons is two stores away. Don't go midday when it's swarming with garmentos on their lunch breaks. If you only have an hourand you want to see embellishments, start here. | |
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Mokuba
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Just ribbons. Exquisite variety displayed in a museum-like ambiance. Very Expensive but definitely worth aspiring to. It's important to have a business card available to give to the salesperson. Here's their idiosyncratic procedure: don't handle anything yourself. After you've decided what you want, an assistant follows you around with a cart and cuts what you ask for. | |
| M&S Schmalberg 242 West 36th Street 7th Floor (212) 244 - 2090 www.customfabricflowers.com info@customfabricflowers.com Mon - Fri 9am - 4:30pm |
These guys have the largest selection of silk fabric flowers, petals and leaves in the city. They do all manufacturing on premises and can even custom make something out of your fabric. Very friendly to work with. |
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| MORE TRIMMINGS/BUTTONS/BEADS/NOTIONS The Bead District is around 6th Avenue from 36th St to 39th St. |
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B & Q Bridal Inc. |
Bridals, veils, lace, trimmings (like to-die-for beaded fringes), laces, appliques, gloves, sequins, costume jewelry, artificial flowers, appliques, and things you've never even dreamed of. | |
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| Daytona Braids & Trimming 251 West 39th Street (212) 354-1713, daytrim@worldnet.att.net Open Monday to Saturday |
Lots of buttons, trim, embroidery thread, and pillow inserts. | |
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| Toho Shoji 990 Avenue of the Americas, between 36th and 37th Streets (212) 868-7466, www.tohoshojiny.com Open Monday to Sunday |
Good assortment of beads, ornaments, and related stuff. | |
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| York Novelty Imports Beads 10 West 37th Street (212) 594-7040, www.yorkbeads.com Open Monday to Friday |
A spokesman for this mammoth retail store, in business at the same site for over sixty years, says they are the major New York importer of Czech beads. Good selection of small containers of seed beads. | |
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| Beads World 1384 Broadway (212) 302-1199, www.beadsworldusa.com Open seven days a week |
From the outside, this new store looks well lit and well stocked. Large selection of Swarovski crystal, lampworked Czech beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads. | |
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| Steinlauf & Stoller 239 West 39th Street Toll Free: (877) 869-0321, (212) 869-0321-2; www.steinlaufandstoller.com, Open Monday to Friday, 8-5:30 |
Thread, zippers, tools, shoulder pads, etc. They will put on snap sets. I buy the featherweight fusible interfacing (CL-FW) that enables me to play nicely with silks at this notions distributor; $30.00 minimum for mail orders. | |
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| Panda Threads 247 West 38th Street (212) 302-9434, www.zipperbank.com Open Monday to Saturday |
Great prices on giant spools of name brand threads (like Guttermann), elastics, hangers. Plus, they make labels. | |
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| Great Buttons 241 West 40th Street (212) 869-6811 Open Monday to Saturday |
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| Top Tex 222 West 38th Street (212) 221-6433, toptextrim@aol.com Open: Monday to Saturday |
Manufacturers and importers of home furnishings, accessories, trimmings, woolen and pashmina shawls | |
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| Eskay Novelty 34 West 38th Street, 3rd floor (212) 391-4110, www.eskaynovelty.com Open Monday to Thursday, half day on Friday |
Imagine: this shop only sells feathers. | |
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| Stanley Pleating 242 West 36th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (212) 868-2920 Open to the public: Monday to Friday, 12-1:15, 4:30-5:30 |
Pleating, stitching, embroidery services | |
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| Out of the Garment District | ||
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| The City Quilter 133 West 25th between 6th and 7th Avenues (212) 807-0390, www.cityquilter.com Not open on Monday. |
This may be a small quilt store by American quiltdom standards, but its goods and services are equal to the best. The knowledgeable, kind staff will be happy to give local restaurant recommendations along with sage quilting advice. | |
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Metalliferous |
Metalliferous is a full-service, fully-stocked supplier of metal, tools, and supplies to jewelers, beaders, crafters, hobbyists, metal workers, sculptors, and everyone else interested in metalworking and jewelry. Kaleidoscope makers love this place. | |
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| Tender Buttons 143 East 62nd Street (212) 758-7004 Open Monday to Saturday |
The cream of the contemporary and antique button crop. Worthy of multiple ooh-and-aah moments. | |
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| Old Japan 382 Bleecker Street (@8th Ave) (212) 633-0922 Open Tuesday to Sunday, 1:00-7:30PM |
Lots of kimono, obi and Asian artifacts. Ask to see the fabric drawer with cut-up kimono fabric in silk, cotton and yukata. The friendly couple that owns the shop enjoys the company of quilters. | |
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Long Island
Huntington Fabric Depot
1949 New York Avenue(631) 424-7333 http://www.huntingtonfabricdepot.com/ Mon-Sat, 10AM-7PM |
Eleanor-from-Long-Island and her daughter-the-Salsa-dancer have great things to say about this mecca: “Garment silks, like Dupioni ($12), silk lining fabric ($5--cheaper than the polyester at Joann’s.), lovely wools ($10), Ultrasuede ($10 to 12). Discounted patterns at 50% off, loads of stock notions, accessories, trims and buttons, not to mention a decorating fabric section, too.
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| P&S Fabrics 355 Broadway (about four blocks below Canal) (212) 226-1534. Monday to Friday and Sundays. Closed Saturday. |
According to Shirley Levine, it's the best stocked notion center, with a great selection of brand name rayon threads (including Madeira) and stuff like rat tail and cording for piping, and it's one of the few spots in the city that carries clothing patterns (at 25% off). According to Judy Speezak, this shop always has a good selection of genuine African cottons, cheaper than most anywhere else in the city. They also have an odd selection of quilting cottons, and she's recently seen woven patterned Chinese silks there, too. |
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| Erica Wilson 717 Madison Avenue (212) 832-7390 Open Monday to Saturday |
Best place for hard-to-find pearl cotton | |
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| Bruce Frank 215 West 83rd Street (212) 595-3746, www.brucefrankbeads.com Open seven days a week |
BEADS! | |
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Beads Of Paradise
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Isn't it amazing about the siren song of beads? You donj't think you could possibly need one more thing and then you start shopping. Thisshop, a block off Union Square, is fabulous with exquisite beyond seed-bead-beads. There's everything related to beads, plus lacquerware and African, Asian and Indonesian artifacts with knowledgeable, helpful salespeople. |
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| Djema Imports 70 West 125th Street (212) 289-3842, www.djemaimports.com Open seven days a week |
Specializes in African fabrics: mudcloths, korhogo, and African cotton prints. | |
| Lunch Advice from Friends Who Work in the Area | ||
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| Joyce (a quilter/lawyer): "On nice days, people can have more money to spend on fabric by picking up the scrumptious curried chicken or spicy chick peas and vegetables (both over rice) at the Healthy Halal food cart at the corner of 43rd Street and 6th Avenue and take it to eat in Bryant Park." |
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Teresa (a patternmaker/art quilter): Order online: www.gingers5127.com Pret A Manger Victoria Findlay Wolfe (quiltmaker/owner Bumble Beans Inc; http://www.bumblebeansinc.com/ “Casa Nonna, Market Cafe, and Il Punto are the better places in the hood. The others are the ones that are a step tier down from the first three mentioned, but are still better than most of the pop up food places in the garment district. “ Casa Nonna Market Cafe IL PUNTO Ristorante Inakaya Mercato HK Hell's Kitchen FAST BITES: Dean & Deluca Inc Schnipper's Quality Kitchen Counter |
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Kait (Dimitrios Design Archive) "If it's warm and sunny out, I'll pick up a chopped salad from Just Salad and then find a seat outside in Herald Square Park (on Broadway in front of Macy's). http://justsalad.com/home.php. This option is great for people watching!!"
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THREE HOUR GUIDE TO THE GARMENT DISTRICT
Consider the following itinerary a sampler of garment district attractions that can be collapsed into three hours (if you stay focused and on task and wear either roller-skates or rubber soled shoes). If you need sustenance, try Ben’s, a NY kosher type deli at 209 W 38th Street, corner of 7th Avenue, (212) 398-2367. Many thanks to Shirley Levine for her clever help compiling this list. SEGMENT 1 Wander through 3 shops on 40th St between 7th & 8th Ave 1. METRO CREATION Really reasonable prices for trimmings land accessories like rhinestones, sequins, bandings, handbag handles, beads 2. NY ELEGANT FABRICS An impressive range of beautiful fabrics: silks, woolens, cottons, designer fabrics, laces, imports 3. PARON WEST and PARON ANNEX A NYC legend; you’ll either luck into the buy of your life or wander through wondering what the hype is all about. All fabric is 50% off in the Annex.
4. B&J Fabrics Beautifully organized, high end, expensive. Check it out for scientific purposes. 5. MOOD This must-see store is one of the recurring characters on the iconic reality TV show, PROJECT RUNWAY. Jam packed with designer and home dec fabrics, it might behoove you to print out the layout of the three floors from the website. Also, it has restrooms. SEGMENT 3 Wander between four stores on 38th Street. 6. SIL THREAD A great range of colored thread 7. LEATHER IMPACT Smells great! 8. MATCH FEATHER Peek inside: feathers, feather trim, Swarovski stone, flowers, buckles 9. PACIFIC TRIMMING Inexpensive button source plus much more SEGMENT 4: 10. TOHO SHOJI (New York) Findings, beads, chains, cool stuff you didn’t even know you were looking for 11. M&J Trimming Although it might seem redundant after the other trimming stores, a visit to the garment district wouldn’t be complete without trekking a few blocks east to M+J Trimming. You might want to stop for a caffeine break on your way over; you’ll need renewed stamina to stand and gawk. M&J is a bit pricier .The view is fabulous bordering on overwhelming. If you’re into embellishment and you’ve only got an hour, you might want to spend it here.
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Compiled by Paula Nadelstern, June 2004. www.paulanadelstern.com |
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