Speakeasy shopping trips!

 

So excited!  The first one is TOMORROW!!!! (written July 25)

If you have registered for a Garment District Shopping Tour in July or August 2023, look out for an email from me on/by July 20th confirming our meeting place, and some other details specific to your excursion. (note - you should have received an email from me by now.)  The  itinerary for each day will be different, so the email your receive will contain details which are specific to your group.

Things to know:

• Wear comfortable walking shoes
• Bring along a rolling bag to reduce fatigue - some stores will ship for you,  but not all.
• Let me know if you have any food allergies/unique dietary needs the restaurant will need to consider.
• Dress appropriately for the weather.

When is the next Speakeasy?

You can always find out when the next Speakeasy is scheduled to take place here.

And right now, the next dates on my calendar are:

January 20, 2017

and 

April 14, 2017

If my dates don't work for you, you can request a custom tour for yourself alone, or with a group.  

If you have an idea for a tour you would like to propose, share it with me, and we can offer it, and see if it is a "go" based on interest and sign-ups.

Led a Speakeasy yesterday! (Spoiler alert... the teacher became the student)

I often lead private Speakeasies for groups when requested, and I must say, this particular private Speakeasy was an unusual one.  

A few weeks ago, a university professor contacted me to schedule a tour of the garment district for her group of business students, as part of a larger New York City exploration during a week's stay in our bustling metropolis. That day was yesterday. Very excited for this experience, I planned an excursion for the students to give them a taste of the layers of the district, rather than the shopping trips I usually lead.  And I'm so glad I did it. On this particular jaunt, I probably learned much, much, much more, and (quite accidentally) got more education out of this effort than the kids did...

Why?  

560 7th Ave - Parsons School of Design - now gone...

This trip made me clean my garment district glasses, so to speak.

560 7th Ave now - future site of a luxury hotel

I began my talk with them, thinking I needed to squash the idea I suspected the students are likely carrying - that the garment industry is a glamorous one, where dreams and diamonds await all who can dream up a perfect little garment...

At the intro of our tour, I referenced the documentary, The True Cost, explaining that the places I was about to show them would give a lovely idea of all of the business endeavors they could participate in, while letting them know that there is also a hidden layer that they would not see on our excursion, full of underpaid immigrants, unpaid interns, and very hardworking people laboring to keep this fashion illusion going in New York City.  I told them that the image of fashion industry success is often portrayed as local, when it in fact, global. I also explained that, truth be told, they they would probably not be willing to pay what truly ethically made clothing would cost.

This information didn't seem to really surprise them.  And THAT... surprised me. I had clearly underestimated them.

West 40th Street now has only ONE fabric store...

I pointed at offices with "for rent" signs, I indicated places which have vanished or downsized, and I was surprised to see that some of my more recent haunts had vanished, too, and showed them how some local merchants were responding to consumers' global awareness by offering eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics.

I was surprised to see troublingly light business in the places I expected to see more activity, businesses not open during posted business hours, signs of stress and decline a bit more intense than I'm used to.

I explained some of the economic challenges of running a fashion business, explaining the predatory loansharking that the practice of "factoring" brings, the intense retail schedule and delivery challenges, the exploitation of workers and businesses in the process, and the drama of it all...

At the end of our short trip, I felt prepared to eulogize my beloved district, feeling that I might be overly nostalgic for the district of my youth, which is very different than the district of today.

I encouraged the students, wished them well, told them some other fun NY activities they should seek out and explore, and bid them goodbye.

And then... I thought about it...

I wandered around a bit to shake off my malaise, went into some of my favorite spots, found some fabulous things, got my creative "buzz" going, and shook it off!

The "secret" district I am always telling you about? The district of mazes, hallways, hidden stores and undiscovered gems is still there!!!  You may simply have to take an elevator, climb a staircase, know the lingo, get a map, make a plan, but you can participate!  

So, really, do we need the "OLD" district?  Would that even make sense now? The new one has plenty to offer.  Yes, we can all embrace it. Put away your tissues. Come and enjoy!

The April 22 Speakeasy! What fun!

It was a beautiful day!

First off:

I tried to plan our excursion to avoid the problem I thought the #Hamiltome book signing crowd might cause on 40th street (evidence of the excitement if you click below)

More singalong fun happening at #Hamiltome signing... #WaitingForLMM pic.twitter.com/iLzaz1CFEE

— Drama Book Shop (@dramabookshop) April 22, 2016

Although the signing didn't begin until 1, there was a reasonable crowd of enthusiastic people who had been waiting since dawn (and some who had camped overnight) lining the street.  

Line extended right in front of NY ELEGANT FABRICS.... Hey, could you guys move over?  Yes, that was one of our stops, and a beautiful fabric I pointed out, and had purchased yardage of years ago also drew the attention of one of the tour participants, who will turn it into something beautiful, I'm sure!

So, where did we go?  Well, I had  a delightful group of artistic women from the west coast to lead, so we went to the places that would light their creative appetites with high quality goods, and great shopping environments.

We spent leisurely quality time in a few different stores - all of them brought us happiness, but... the highlight of the day?

Leather, Suede, Skins! - they never fail to amaze me with the beautiful quality skins they offer.  A dreamy teal, a strong peach, a mottled pumpkin, a dusty rose with a bold sueded purple wrong side... all of it sigh-worthy.

While they do have a website, (link above) you really have to go in person to experience the magic of this store. I particular enjoy being lovingly scolded while shopping there, with a healthy push from the owners to buy, to experiment, to dream... Their stuff isn't cheap.  Not in quality or price, but it is well worth the experience!

As for the other stores?  They have each been featured on the site before, and they were as wonderful as ever. 

The fun of a Speakeasy is the "speakeasy-ness" of it, so that's all I'll say.  Pictures were taken, but won't be shared here. And yes, we had a great lunch.

The next Speakeasy garment district fabric shopping tour will be...

On Wednesday, April 22, 2016!

(This tour is a definite "go", with several booked shoppers/explorers already.)

Look here for details! 

Special Speakeasy request

Quick update! Survey results are in! I will report some of the information here, but the specific details will be shared with the participants. 

 Three of the participants provided email addresses which are not accepting mail. 

 If your email address includes the following combination of letters within your address, know that I cannot reach you directly: 

 "Wago" 
 "Deale"
 "Sioux" 


You may contact me directly to correct your email address, and I can include you in the more intimate discussion loop.

October 17 Speakeasy tour

*Reposting - reminder for all interested*

Another general shopping Speakeasy tour is scheduled for October 17, 2014.  This is by far, the time of year when most people are interested in doing a Speakeasy tour!  If asked, I/we will do custom tours before that date.

Itinerary below:

 A group reservation for lunch at 1PM will be made, and is optional for anyone who wishes to join (note the "with" or "without" lunch prices). If you decline lunch at this time, it is still your option to come along with us, but you will be responsible for your own lunch bill.

10AM - 1PM - 

Shopping (will include several very special fabric and trimming stores with a wide variety of offerings suitable for many different purposes/types of garments.)

1PM-

Lunch!

2PM - until end of business day

Armed with your "Secret Map" and your own interest in or desire to visit the many other stores you see or have learned about, you may visit more garment district stores if you wish, and give unique codes (that you'll get from me) to vendors who will give special assistance/discounts.
The cost of this guided, efficient tour is $80 per person with lunch (yes, there has been a slight price increase - lunch is a bit pricier that it was 2 years ago!), or $60 without lunch. If you use this trip to shop and participate in what NYC has to offer, you will save and learn at least as much as you are paying.  bring your patterns, ideas and plans along for advice and opinions!

Wanna come? Click here, send payment, and the details on meeting time/place will be provided.  Payment is only accepted via PayPal (you do not need a Paypal account), credit or debit card. No cash, personal checks, or additional payments will be accepted on the day of the tour. The trip will involve a good amount of walking, so come prepared, and healthy.

with lunch $80.00 USD without lunch $60.00 USD

About the recent Speakeasy...

On May 17, I met up with a great group of creatives for a speakeasy tour.  Although I was delayed on a slow moving subway train, (trying to meet up at 10AM) my wonderful touring partner, Cindy, took charge and led the group to the first store. Thanks a million, Cindy!

This tour was pretty different from the others, for several reasons:

It was a Saturday.  And wow, what a Saturday it was!  Beautiful weather, calm, peaceful streets and stores, and a more laid-back energy in the district than the weekday traffic usually allows. Before our tour, I had asked the participants specifically what types of things they hoped to find, and curated the selected stores to match their tastes.  I also tweaked the stores we visited, according to their interest level as we moved along, and it really enhanced the experience. 

From creative art quilts, to art-to-wear and funky fabric lovers, to purse-making, to generalists, to natural fiber lovers, we had a healthy range of interests! And... I must say... I admire anyone who knows she needs to bring along an empty suitcase with wheels!

What did we see that excited/delighted us?

I'm not giving you the specific store names here... after all, that's why we call it a "Speakeasy", for goodness sake...

Feel free to guess which stores I'm referring to.  I will neither confirm nor deny your guesses, but it could be fun!

Store #1 - HUGE, and had great printed cottons, stretch knits, really fun woolens, lovely silk prints, cut- and-sew knits, and a beautiful rack of really amazing specialty fabrics.  They also gave each member of our group a gift - which I know we will ALL use.

Store #2 - A gorgeous display of printed cottons, wonderful fabric suitable for making silk ties, some really great, bold laces, unusual velvets, a collection of woolen fabrics TO DIE FOR, and a wool print (can I call it that?) that three of us loved desperately.  There was only a small quantity left... but the three of us swooned.  I mean, SWOONED...  Also, if you wanna make great pants, you want the twills, linens or wool sateens they've got.  I've used and loved them all.  I've made pants that still look great, a decade later because the fabric is so awesome.

Store 2.5 - Lots of pretty silks, mainly.  A store with a "foreign" feeling - an whim of a stop on our way somewhere else...

Store #3 - Designer closeouts.  That is a strong hint, if you can guess.  Prices were great, we all saw things we loved, and I fell in love with a crinkle chiffon in what I like to call a non-color.  Lost somewhere between beige and pink, it was just so lovely.

Then we ate.  Great conversation,  great meal!  That place isn't so much of a speakeasy secret.  In my opinion, just the best place to have great food and rest your tootsies with a group in the garment district.  You can probably guess this one on your own.  Amazing corned beef sandwich and Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda... can't beat it!

Store #4 - Based on lunch conversation, we knew we needed to go to this place.  A home dec search for one of our group made this stop important.  Everyone found reasons to "oooh" and "ahhh" in this store, whether they meant to, or not! I was hyperventilating over a fabric I saw rolled out on a table for another customer, ran over, and demanded to check price and fiber content.  Yes, just like a crazy woman.  It will take everything in me to shake off that experience, and not head back into the district until I can breathe normally again. I am "grounded" until I complete the projects on my burner right now.

Stores 5, 6, 7 - All a bit of a blur now, although many more things were purchased.  One store in particular required me to give a brief lesson before entering on "the art of the haggle".  I advised them which store staff would try to charge the highest price they think they can get, but are actually willing to go much lower.  I know... from experience.  We got tangled up in stores so packed with inventory, we had to take breaks for fresh air (no, I'm not kidding), we saw really fun laser cut leather remnants, and things with feathers, interesting textures, great colors...

Everyone was sufficiently pooped when we ended at about 4 PM.  We ran long (because we were having fun!), and I just told people to let me know when they were too tired to go on.  The group dwindled down a bit, leaving a proud few of us by the end! As for myself, I took a "nap" soon after arriving home (interrupted only by a quick dinner), that ended on Sunday morning!

I also gave group members with more time to spend in New York, details on finding the other fabrics and services they needed from the vendors who are open on weekdays.

Wanna get in on a future Speakeasy?  Click through to this page to stay updated on future Speakeasy events, or to simply request a speakeasy map with store descriptions, locations, what to say, and important merchandise details.

May 17 Speakeasy!

Last chance to join us this Saturday!

This tour is a definite "go", and we will shop, socialize, and eat.  What could be better?

Looking very much forward to it!  It will be a blast!

What happens on a Speakeasy...

Stays on a Speakeasy...

It happened yesterday. The came, they shopped, they saw, they enjoyed.  I would LOVE to see pictures of what will get made using the lovely things I saw them buy!

A stream of consciousness summary of the day would sound something like this...

Busy city, frantic meet-up! Flustered, a few minutes late... Nervous energy!

Enthusiastic welcome, deep breaths and lively stroll.  Looks like an office building... what floor do I push?  Elevator ding... to the left? Deep gasp... what? It keeps going? Printed silks, what is pique? Oooh - Make a bag from this? Bias chiffon flounces, washed silk, knits and novelties and wools, oh my!  

What's next? 

Another stroll - oh... we're still in the lobby?  Maybe I should push the button, huh? Too busy talkin'! Turn right - past that little table?  Oh, this sure is a Speakeasy, huh? Where do I begin?  Explain the layout. Wow - spread that fabric out, and it tells a story! Oooh - this print!  How should I use this one?  What do you think?  Oh, the polka dot splashes!  Note: I wanted them myself, but knew she'd REALLY love it. Okay, fine... It will go home with her. Not me. Oooh! This double-faced wool would be just right for that pattern you brought along.  Just love it.  

Where to next? 

Another quick stroll... Elevator up - boy, when you said "small"... you really weren't kidding! But oooh... what's that?  The price is WHAT (in a good way)? And that matelasse... and that sorta artistic grid pattern...Oh yeah... 

But where can I find my notions?  Oh, let's go! This place is cool... What is this?  And that?  How do I use?  Are these feathers?  Yeah, I can see it in orange for me!  

I'm tired.  Let's eat. I have to go.  The rest of you, enjoy.  Wish I could have stayed to spend more time with you! Subways were STILL a delayed mess. But we all had fun!