Thursday, July 19, 2007

My Favorite New York Haunts

I have been asked several times (okay more than that!) about my favorite spots in the garment district. So I finally decided to do a post about them. Now I use to have many more spots but everything seems to be changing and so many shops have just closed down their doors and gone away....

So here is the listing in no particular order of where I like to shop in the NYC garment district:

Metro Textiles
265 West 37th Street
Suite 908
New York, NY
Phone: 212.209.0004


With Kashi and friends at Metro Textiles

You have seen the goods. You have heard me rave. If you are in NYC, visit! Enough said!

Ebad Fabrics
550 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212.869.7826

Nabil - the proprietor has the best prices on linen and he always seems to have an amazing assortment of them! If you get a chance to visit his shop, tell him that Carolyn sent you and he will give you a great deal! This is where I purchased the black herringbone linen and I have been buying from him for over 8 years. He is my go to resource for basics. I can find it here, take it home and make it up!

Paron Fabrics
206 West 40th Street
New York, NY
Phone: 212.247.6451

I am so sorry that they closed the Annex. It was a brightly lit treasure trove and even though they have incorporated the two stores into one and the Annex was looking better the last time I was there, I still miss the original. I have been shopping at Paron's since they had their stores on 57th Street. Great pieces of exquisite fabric can be found here for amazing prices. A definite must see when visiting NYC.

Steinlauf & Stoller
239 West 39th Street
New York, NY
Phone: 212.860.0321

This is where I pick up notions...zippers, rayon hem tape, ironing supplies, shoulder pads, plastic crystal hangers. You name it, they've got it. The only thing is that they are only open Monday - Friday until 5:30 pm. No weekends, at all!

Daytona Trimmings
251 West 39th Street
New York, NY
Phone: 212.354.1713

I love this trim store! This is my go-to store for trimmings. I have been shopping here so long that the clerks know me...no small feat since just about everyone comes through here. And of course, Project Runway made them famous but they are still, kind and helpful with not only every kind of fashion & home dec trim but they also carry yarns and pillow forms. If you need it to finish off your garment, they have it!

Tinsel Trading
47 West 38th Street
New York, NY
Phone: 212.730.1030

Need a real vintage trim? This is the spot! Don't want to be bothered with a crowd but want good knowledge customer service? This is the spot! When I am looking for something unique and different, I head over to Tinsel. It is a must see spot if you are in NYC and right around the corner from M&J.

M&J Trimmings
1008 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY
Phone: 212.391.9072



Shopping at M&J with friends


It's M&J what else is there to say!? Racks and racks of trims, buttons and appliques...braids for days...it can be an overwhelming presence. But go, take a deep breathe and plunge in. But be prepared for an amazing sensory experience!

These are a few of my favorite NYC Garment District haunts. But I have to be frank, I purchase way more fabric on the internet than I do at any of these stores. It is just too convenient to purchase fabric in the middle of the night in my pjs without having to leave home. However, when I am having a bad day at work and need to touch some fabric, the district is just one train stop away from my job and less than 15 minutes to nirvana!

So if you are in the NYC area ~ what are your favorite NYC haunts? And if you are planning on coming to the fabric district any time soon, please feel free to visit my favs but also don't be afraid to go into some of the smaller shops. You just never know what you will find there!

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the walking tour :)

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  2. Oh Carolyn, you make me want to come over tomorrow!!! If I am ever lucky enough to come to NYC, I know where to go!

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  3. LUCKY! I wish I lived close enough to go!!!!

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  4. i need to plan a visit to NYC.

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  5. Even though I'm just in Boston, I can't seem to find a good excuse to get myself to NYC to go fabric shopping... but, you remind me that I must plan a trip sometime soon...

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  6. Reminds me of one of my favorite musical tunes...

    NY, NY!!!
    A wonderful town,
    the Bronx is up,
    and the Battery's down.

    The people ride
    in a hole in the ground.
    NY, NY - what a wonderful town!!!

    I'm definitely bookmarking this one on the off chance that I'll get to return to NYC someday.

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  7. Can we talk tapemeasures? SIL Thread (next door to Daytona Trims, I think) keeps The Best Tapemeasures in a jar on the counter - fiberglass-reinforced, marked in both inches and centimeters and ***reversible*** so no matter which end you grab, you can measure. Dritz discontinued these a long time ago. I keep tape measures spread around the house, handy at all times, so I buy a few more of these every time I get the chance. I think they're under $2 apiece. And in that same store, you can buy invisible separating zippers. How cool is that? Ooops. I don't mean the zippers are invisible; I mean that once installed in a garment they're invisible....and separating!

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  8. great eye candy.
    I can't figure out if my stash would be larger or smaller if I had all that access to sensory overload. Part of the reason my stash grew to mammoth proportions was that I would see some really hard-to-find fabric and have to buy it because I might not ever see it again.

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  9. LOL Marji!
    My stash is small because I hate shopping! Really. Hate hate hate. Makes it hard to sew, but I sew stupid art stuff instead of anything really usefull.

    Sorry Carolyn, no disrespect to you. Your blog is one of my favorites. Shopping is an art in itself and I respect someone who is good at it. You are fortunate in having a job that requires a wardrobe and loving to sew and living in a place where you can get great fabric. What a combo.

    When I worked for someone else, I spent a lot hours in scrubs and a tyvek bunny suit with a full face respirator. Now that I work for myself, I am the queen of dungarees and boots.

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  10. Thanks for listing the stores. I've been "planning" to get to NY's garment diatrict for years! I hope I get to go while these stores are still in business.

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  11. Thanks for sharing! I'm printing this list. I haven't gotten there yet but hope to soon. I live in Central NJ, so distance is not the problem. It's just planning a day for myself which is nearly impossible with a home, 3 kids and a husband...and of course the second mortgage I may need to secure for all my purchases...sigh...

    Jeannie W.

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  12. Thank-you for the list. Now I know to schedule a longer NYC trip to allow for proper fabric and trimming shopping.

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  13. Hi Carolyn - Im in NYC now until Monday. Internet access is rare. We are so busy seeing all the sights! Made it to Metro Textiles (after doing the Empire State building and Macys and before going to Time Sq) Kashi was great - I spent £150 in about 15mins and got some great stuff. Think my case is gonna weigh so much on the way home so I don't know how much more fabric I can buy. BTW I was wearing my circle print skirt that you commented on with a red t and doing my best to look like a New Yorker - must have worked as we got a cab at rush hour! I love this city but it is just so damn crazy!!! Off to a Broadway show tomorrow

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