Up-To-Date list of the best Garment District stores, July 2017
Garment District shops, July 2017 Britelite
- are must-see stores
- M&J Trim** fanciest trim store; expensive. Has a small blacklight-glow section
** Toho Shoji Beads ** 990 Sixth/W36. You’ll love this store
East Coast Trim 142 W38/7-6Ave. Good assortment; bright colors, bling and appliques
B&J Fabrics: 525 7Ave/38th, second floor, B&J has lots of beautiful $5-10/yard fabrics, and also the best fabrics in the world ($$$$). B&J displays their fabric much better than anywhere else .
** Pacific Trim ** 218 W38, Great assortment, good prices, good attitude (unlike East Coast Trim). Lots of colored stretchy stuff, colored Velcro and buckles
You pass the 3G Button store at 230 W38.
** Mood Fabrics** Enter on either 37th or 38th Street. Gotta go, but not recommended for buying for big projects. They're the only place with signs that tell you what type of fabric you’re looking at. Once you know what you want, buy from www.onlinefabrics.com
- Hai Trim ** New address: 237 W37, next to Mood. Most fabulous trim. If you’re dressing up for Rio carnaval, this is your place. Best fringe, and you’ll love all the feathers-on-trim. You can make any garment look fabulous by attaching either fringe or feather-trim. No sewing machine needed, although “Magnatec” fabric glue will hold much better than hot glue. Use a business card as spatula to thinly spread the Magnatec, and your project will dry in 5 minutes
Leather Impact 240(?) W38. Lots of leather trim in great colors. Or splurge and buy whole hides in fantastic colors. I have no problem sewing their thinner leathers with a regular sewing machine -- with a leather needle. Consider using stronger upholstery thread (at Sil, below)
Sil Thread 257 W38. Sil is the best place to buy notions because everything is on display. You don't have to know what the thing is called
- Spandex House** Typically around $10/yard. Patterned Spandex is at street level; "solid" colors on the 3d floor. I always bring a $10 pocket real pocket blacklight (tiny LED blacklights are just useless purple lights). For your sewing machine, you ** must ** use a Spandex needle; and use a new needle for each project. Consider buying a rotary cutter and board (Sil Thread, see above) as cutting Spandex with scissors gets ratty
- Cut Fabric ** across the street at 237 W38, has the best “2-way sequin-spandex”: When you rub your hand over it, all sequins flip over, showing a different color. Awesome at $20/yard
8) Dakota Trim ** 251 W39. Good trim at good prices.
Faux fur: I'm pretty sure there is no store with lots of affordable faux fur. Mood is probably your best bet; most faux fur there costs $30/yard. Elegant Fabrics on W40 has lots of beautiful, expensive faux fur $60-$200/yard. Consider asking www.onlinefabrics.com to send you samples and buy there. You’ll find much better prices
Skip The Feather Place, etc. The best NYC crafting stores are florist supply shops in the Flower District:
Flower District
- B&J Florist Supply ** 103 W28/6 is a fantastic crafting store, with the best feather assortment
- Jamali Florist Supply ** 149 W28/6-7 is also great. Has more battery-powered lights than B&J. And real animal horns
Both their second floors are not to be missed, and you * will * miss them if you don't know.
Plastic Sheet and Foam Rubber Sheet
- Canal Plastics ** is the best plastics store, although for colorful Mylar also check out T&T Plastic Land at Chamber/Canal. You'll find beautiful thin/transparent plastic sheet at Elegant Fabric on W40th. Check out their “dichroic” sheet
- Canal Rubber ** closes real early. I can help select the best foam for your project. For costumes use grey "packing foam", not urethane that turns yellow and crumbles. Those are both "open cell" foam; "closed cell" foam is stiffer and heavier. Economy Foam & Futon at W8/6th Ave has better hours; is open Sunday, but only has urethane foam. Elegant Fabrics is the only uptown store I know that has foam sheet, urethane only