Replies

1. 
   kai230 | Jan 29, 2003 07:13am | #1

   Have you contacted the convention/visitors' bureau? They should have some leads for you.

2. 
   sarahkayla | Jan 31, 2003 06:18pm | #2

   For high quality fashion fabric I would go to B&J on 40th st near 8th avenue. They also have high quality remnants. There are other stores on that block that are also woth visiting, NY elegant fabric, Rosen and Chadick, Paron and Poli all have lovely stuff.

   For upholstery I would go to Beckenstein's which is in the 20's... I really wanted to get a wonderful Matisse inspired cheniile... but at 80/yard I just drooples. They have clearence fabrics oin the basement. i got a $60/yard buffalo check for $8 (they re upholstered two huge wing back charis for us)

   You may also want to visit Harry Zarin on the lower east side. They habe three floors of fabric at three different price points.. everything is discounted   but the question is how much. If you want REALLY high end you should go to the D&D building.. you may want to get a copy of a magazine like Architectural digest to find out which places allow regular folks in.   Silk surplus (they have a variety of locations in Manhattan) does some discounting and also has major sales.

   ABC carpet and home had wonderful home dec fabris and they also have a warehouse in the bronx where they discount prices even more.

   M&J trimming has  to the trade only super high end stuff.. I did admire some very cute fringe at $120/yard. It was just great.. They also have another store with more reasonable priced stuff. They are on 6th avenue just north of Macy's.

   New York is a walking city with stores of the same king kind of bunched together.. there are other trim stores near M&J, other wonderful fabric and trim stores between 40th and 36th streets between 7th and 8th avenues.. there are other home dec stores on the lower east side.

   A couple of years ago I wrote a long detailed and opinionated descritption of stores in the 40th street area. Some of those stores have closed but much of the information is still good. You can probaby get the info through the archives.

   enjoy your trip!

   sarah in nyc

1. 
   user-149526 | Jul 04, 2003 05:18pm | #4

   Hi, Sarah!  I too am off to New York next week.  Found your reply from January 31st to a similar question which I've printed to take along.  But unlike the previous inquiry for exquisite material, I'm looking for inexpensive fabric for fifty table cloths, probably cotton or cotton/poly.  Could you work your magic again and perhaps narrow the focus to a discounter of decorative fabrics? 

   On another unrelated note, this will be my tenth consecutive summer trip to New York and may be my last for a while.  I'm beginning to feel like I've seen and done everything, not just the obvious things either.  I love the theater and the arts, history and people watching, good food at reasonable prices, just walking around.  Any ideas for a unique New York experience that it takes a New Yorker to discover, something not to be missed? 

   Thanks,  Sharyn

1. 
   sarahkayla | Jul 04, 2003 06:11pm | #5

   give me a price range for the tablecloth fabric... I tend not to do cotton poly ... but you can try some of the guys like mood or some of the less ritzy places on 385h -40th - I would also talk to the folks at LPthur - if you are a little open aBOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES TABLECLOTH FABRIC YOmay do better there...

   what do you think of as being off the beaten path??? have you done brighton beach and the russian night clubs??? have you gone to stinky park on the hudson??? have you gone to little india? have you been to St John the divine and had pastry at the hungarian pastry shop? have you walked the George washington bridge across the hudson? have you walked the brooklyn bridge???  Have you been to wave hill??? have you dome the chelsea antiques market? have you been to the MOMA in queens?

   sarah in nyc

1. 
   user-149526 | Jul 05, 2003 08:04pm | #6

   Good morning, Sarah!  What a nice reply!

   Our daughter graduated from Columbia in 2000.  St. John's and the Hungarian Pastry Shop were her haunts for quiet study; we've enjoyed them too.  The bridge walks, the new MOMA, and Wave Hill are on my list for this trip already.

   I went to Brighton Beach and walked the board walk toward Coney Island years ago before Russian immigration reached its peak.  Don't know anything about the nightclub scene there.  What do you suggest?  Any safety concerns for evening and on the x-train from Manhattan?

   I've visited the Chelsea Hotel, walked the new housing areas, and had breakfast in the Empire Diner.  Is the antiques market one day a week?  Don't know about it otherwise?

   What and where is Stinky Park on the Hudson?  I know about India House on Hanover Square; is that the Little India area? 

   Thanks for the advice and help.  Sharyn

1. 
   sarahkayla | Jul 07, 2003 02:50pm | #7

   Good morning, Sarah!  What a nice reply!

   Our daughter graduated from Columbia in 2000.  St. John's and the Hungarian Pastry Shop were her haunts for quiet study; we've enjoyed them too.  The bridge walks, the new MOMA, and Wave Hill are on my list for this trip already.

   Great - then you may also love the brooklyn botanical gardens and the brooklyn museum - all done on one day. The botanical gardens  serve the best sandwiches, all made with herbs. The brooklyn museum is faded grand but has a great collection of textiles as well as a wonderful collection of decorative arts.

   I went to Brighton Beach and walked the board walk toward Coney Island years ago before Russian immigration reached its peak.  Don't know anything about the nightclub scene there.  What do you suggest?  Any safety concerns for evening and on the x-train from Manhattan?

   Brighton beach is amazing. It has been getting glitzier and glitzier every year. The beach food is no longer knishes and pizza but russian food. We had a wonderful dinner there last July 4th. If you go off the beach the dinner proces will be higher. I have not been to the nightclubs.. but have heard that they are quite an experience. we once went to a hole in the wall that piped in the entertainment from one of the glitzier places. yes it is safe getting home by subway.

   I've visited the Chelsea Hotel, walked the new housing areas, and had breakfast in the Empire Diner.  Is the antiques market one day a week?  Don't know about it otherwise?

    

   The antiques market is on 26th near 6th avenue.. but the whole area has zillions of antiques stores.

   What and where is Stinky Park on the Hudson? Stinky park is a fabulous state recreation area built on top of a sewage treatment plant in harlem on the Hudson. the facilities are beautiful. the poopl is amazingly clean and the facilities are incredibly cheap. you can take the M11 bus right to the door. safe, clean and with great views of the Hudson  River.  I know about India House on Hanover Square; is that the Little India area? Little india is where indian folks shop and live in Jackson heights Queens. Take the #7 subway to broadway . The fabric and jewelery stores will make the eyes pop out of your head. The buffets in the restaurants are cheap and look great. 

    

   The amazing thing about new york is that it has so many universes all orbiting around together. yesterday we took the subway out to rockaway beach past JFK airport. Aside from the amazing image of a subway car rolling passed sea shore and wading shore birds.. The crowd near us on the beach was international with a Brazilian flair. There were drummers and an informal dance contest going on all alfternoon. folks of all colors and languages were all hanging out. We were probably among the few native english speakers.. it was about an hour and a half on the train but it felt like an excursion to Miami - or to rio. on the way home we stopped at a hole in the wall pizza place on the way to the subway and had terrific pizza and fabulous eggplant subs. It isn't a world class tourist attraction but it was just a terrific place to go.

   sarahThanks for the advice and help.  Sharyn

2. 
   user-149526 | Jul 08, 2003 02:43am | #8

   I printed your suggestions to take along.  We raised our daughter in Miami. The international flavor of both cities attracts us greatly, especially after retiring seven years ago to the rural Midwest.

   I plan to visit L. P. Thur on Friday of this week.  I think they are exactly what I need to get fabric ideas for the tablecloths and Greenberg and Hammer is one of my favorite places for sewing notions so I'll stop there as well. 

   Since you've been so helpful on several fronts, I'll let you know what I discover in fabric and in the city.

   Thanks again.  Sharyn

3. 
   user-149526 | Jul 17, 2003 09:37pm | #9

   Thank you for excellent advice on where to shop in Manhattan.  Let me contribute a few additional stores I found, as well as complete addresses, contact information, and other notes.  Since Sarah's list was so useful I'm updating it here.  Hope this is useful to someone.  I'm keeping it on file for my next trip to New York.  Sharyn

    

   Upholstery Fabrics

   ABC Carpet

   888 Broadway

   (212) 473-0000)

   Store was closed when I got there but it looks pretty comprehensive.

   Also a warehouse with deeper discounts at:

   1055 Bronx River Avenue

   (212) 842-8772

    

   Beckenstein’s (M-Sat 10am-6pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, Sun noon-5pm)

   4 West 20th  Street

   (212) 366-5142

   This is a full-service upholstery and decorating business.  They have discounted bolts and bolt-ends of upholstery fabric in the basement and a small room on the first floor.  When I was there in July 2003 these remnants were all priced at $9.95/yard.  Nothing was marked with fabric content but it was pretty easy to tell that almost everything was either 100% cotton or cotton/poly mix.

    

   D and D  Building

   979 Third Avenue (near Bloomingdale’s)

   Beautiful upholstery fabrics, expensively priced, many $100+/yard.  Most businesses are to-the-trade but some do accept retail shoppers. I found no sales or discounts in the businesses I visited.

    

   Joe’s Fabric Warehouse (Sun-Th 9am-6pm, Fr 9am-3pm)

   102 and 110 Orchard (at Delancy), 1st and 2nd floor

   (212) 674-7089

   Designer and imported upholstery fabrics priced generally from $15-45/yard, drapery fabrics and trimmings.  Lots of selections generally arranged by pattern type.  At first I was uncomfortable with on the spot pricing which seemed a little arbitrary, but I found Joe's was not the only discounter that worked that way.  The aisles such as they were are very narrow and, although brightly lighted, lots of things were buried.

    

   L.P. Thur (also the store location for http://www.fabricoutlet.com)

   126 W 23rd Street

   (212) 243-4913

   (800) 582-2624

   The store itself is small with a heaping jumble of fabric bolts.  Prices and fabric content are not generally marked, lighting is weak for color matching.  Some ribbons and other trimmings.  Large color selection of polished cotton at 3.98yard.

    

   M and A Decorators (Sun-Th 9:30am-6pm, Fr 9:30am-4:30pm)

   294 Grand Street

   (212) 226-3910

   [email protected]

   Small selection not well organized but relatively inexpensive in the $5 to $15/yard range.

    

   Prestige (recommended by a fellow shopper)

   258 West 39th Street

   I didn’t have time to check this one out.

    

   Sheila’s Decorating

   68 Orchard Street

   (212) 777-3767

   Full service decorating business with discounted bolt and bolt-ends in the basement.  Lots of attractive things including furniture and other decorating items.  In the end I found here the perfect fabric for a sofa and chair but only as a small remnant in the basement.  Shira is trying to identify the fabric to see if thirty yards can be ordered. 

    

   Silk Surplus

   Several locations in the area, does some discounting and has some major sales.  Didn’t check this one out.

    

   Harry Zarin

   318 Grand Street

   (212) 925-6112

   Three floors at three price points.  The third floor warehouse is chock full, organized by color, wide rows of bolt racks easy to peruse.  Decent lighting too.  Discounted prices not marked but generally between $25-35 dollars/yard.  This was another place where I think the pricing was pretty arbitrary but the selection was the best I found. 

    

   Fashion Fabrics

   B and J

   West 40th Street near 8th Avenue (moving after August 25, 2003 to 525 7th Avenue at 38th Street, 2nd floor)

   (212) 354-8150 (phone number will remain the same)

   High quality fashion fabrics, leather/suede/fur pelts, wool garbardine at $27/yard, DKNY and Ralph Lauren cashmere suiting at $33-63/yard and up, Chanel coat tweeds at $53/yard, faux Mongolian at $33/yard and Persian lamb at $73/yard in several colors, Ultra-suede (58” at $50/yard, 46” at $40/yard) and micro-suede, brocades of all types and colors, Indian fabrics.  So many beautiful fabrics in one place were inspiring.  Fashion ads torn from magazines show various B and J fabrics in designer use.

    

   NY Elegant Fabric (M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm)

   222 West 40th Street

   (212) 302-4984

   [email protected]

   Large selection, lovely and unusual fashion fabrics, many beaded and/or bullioned, cotton eyelet, French fur edging

    

   Paron Fabrics, Inc.

   Paron West

   206 West 40th Street with 50% discount annex

   (212) 768-3266

   Main store is at 56 West 57th Street with 50% discount annex on the 2nd floor

   (212) 247-6451

   Also Paron East at 855 Lexington Avenue

   (212) 772-7353

   http://www.paronfabrics.com

   Beautiful fashion fabrics, suiting and coat fabrics especially

    

   Rosen and Chadick (M-F 8:30-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm)

   246 West 40th Street

   (212) 869-0142

   http://www.rosenandchadick.com

   Currently (July of 2003) all wools are 20% off

   Large selection of linen fabric at $12.50/yard

    

   Notions

   Greenberg and Hammer (M-F 10am-6pm, ‘til 5pm on Saturday)

   24 West 57th Street

   Comprehensive notions as well as hundreds of interface-construction materials.  I've used them by phone and mail for years, always with a happy outcome.  Frank Piazza is wonderful.

    

   Exclusive by Nahid, Inc.

   215 West 40th Street

   (212) 391-7777

   Exquisite laces, plain, beaded and beribboned

    

   M and J Trimming

   6th Avenue just north of Macy’s

   Excellent, high quality fringe and ribbons of all types.  Didn’t stop this trip but have been very pleased with what I’ve found there previously.

    

   Metro Creations

   213 West 40th Street

   (212) 354-8225

   [email protected]

   http://www.ejoyce.com

   Beaded ribbon, tassels, banding, buttons of all types, loose rhinestones and beads of all kinds, handbag handles, trimmings and accessories.

3. 
   enidshapiro | Jan 31, 2003 10:32pm | #3

   Mood Fabrics on 38th Street, I think, is fabulous.  It's on the third floor of an office building, so call to get address.  They're listed.  Have designer fabrics at discount prices - and a lot of them!