Fabric Shopping in NYC
I used to work in an office that was one subway stop away from the Garment District in NYC. I would head there during lunch to browse for fabrics. It was something I looked forward to all week. I would usually plan my trip in advance and have a specific shop that I wanted to visit, or a street to wander and explore. With no shopping list in mind but plenty of project ideas, I would enjoy looking at the bounty of fabrics and notions. I would amble through the tiny stores that were crammed floor to ceiling with bolts of fabric and occasionally stumble upon a sleepy dog in the corner, napping on a pile of faux fur remnants. Sometimes I would buy fabrics to stow away in my growing fabric stash. Other times I would jump back on the A train and return to the office with a sandwich and or pocket full of swatches.
Pre-Pandemic Shopping
Here’s a map that I drew of the Garment District with the shops that I visited, and some notes about their inventory and pricing. I compiled this list by browsing for fabric stores listed on yelp, or mentioned in blogs, shops that turned up in google map searches, and just wandering into random street level shops while in the neighborhood. Some of these stores might have closed or have limited hours so I would recommend calling ahead of time if you are planning a visit.
My favorite Garment District stores are:
AK Fabrics - chock full of fabric
B&J Fabrics - lots of deluxe eye candy here, the fabrics are pricier
Botani - notions galore
Elliott Berman Textiles - unique fabrics
Metro Textiles - also chock full of fabric
NY Elegant Fabrics - very well organized
Spandex World - I was here once when it was full of out-of-town moms shopping for fabric to clothe junior high school dance/gymnastics troupes. Maybe there was a convention going on? Luckily this store has spandex in all the possible team colors.
Shopping in 2020 Pandemic times
Lately I’ve mostly been shopping online. But it’s not the same as touching the fabric and getting inspired by randomly coming across an interesting piece of trim. Also I miss those midweek visits to look forward to. So I’ve been supplementing my online fabric shopping with occasional visits to the Fabscrap Shop, which is within walking distance of where I live.
Fabscrap is an organization in NYC that recycles designer textiles, notions and offcuts. They collect fabric from different design companies in the city and sort through the lot at their warehouse in the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Proprietary designer material is shredded and reused as stuffing.
After sorting, the fabric is sold at the Fabscrap Shop in Chelsea, usually between $8-15 per yard. You can make an appointment to visit the warehouse, which sells the fabric by the pound, also you can volunteer to help sort fabric. The shop has a more curated collection of fabric than the warehouse. Shopping is by appointment only, and there are only 2 visitors per hour.
I usually go with a list of things I'm looking for and end up buying more. The selection is always changing and limited, so you should plan on making a decision right there whether to buy the fabric, because it might not be there when you return.
I haven’t been shopping in person anywhere else yet, but I do want to check out B&J sometime if I have a fancy project in mind. I will let you know how that goes!