The next Speakeasy?

Next one:

September 21, 2018

This garment district fabric and notions shopping tour will lead you to places you'll love, likely have not heard of, and didn't know existed. 10AM - 3PM with lunch! 

Regarding cancellations:

 If you have paid and wish to cancel 7 days or more before tour date - 100% refund

 If you don't come on the scheduled date or cancel within 24 hours or less - you will forfeit your refund, but can switch reservation to a future tour date.

 If I cancel a tour for any reasons not related to newsworthy acts of God or other unforeseen major emergencies, you are entitled to your choice of a full refund, or a future tour.

Note: you do not need to have a Paypal account to pay using Paypal. This tour is $160. Wanna come?  Click below.

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! 

Taking a break... (an August breather)

It's a beautiful day outside.  Why don't you go out and play?

-My mother 

I'm taking a break until September.  I may comment or post sporadically before then, but don't count on it!  You may still purchase maps and book Speakeasies, if so inclined.  Any related questions will be answered.

Want to Explore the Garment District?

If you want to explore the garment district ... 

There are many ways to do so!

I receive a good number of questions and requests from people who want to tour The Garment District, and have a wide variety of interests/needs/goals.  Believe me, my tours are lots of fun for people who sew, design and create.  The area is navigable on your own, of course, too... but some places you will not find without guidance, and there are so many stores that it is REALLY hard to make your journey time-effective without running out of energy! I do occasionally offer my own carefully curated tours, aimed at really finding what's "special" and unusual for people who are passionately creative and education and quality oriented. The social aspect is a big bonus, too, and may of us have made great connections and gotten great ideas this way!

This is New York City, though, and I'm sure you can imagine that there are other great ways to experience the magic and history of the garment district.

You will find other touring options by clicking http://garmentdistrictnyc.com/plan-your-visit/walking-tours/.  Some of them are free, and some are low-cost! I don't have the personal experience with these tours to offer an endorsement or guarantee, but want to make you aware that they exist!

If you would like to attend one of my tours, there is currently one scheduled for January 2, 2015, and a very special artisanal tour planned for Spring 2015.  Details for the spring tour can be found by clicking http://www.shopthegarmentdistrict.com/2014/11/spring-artisanal-speakeasy.html.  If a tour is not for you, you may decide that you would to tackle the area on your own, with a map.

Whether you come to NYC as a tourist or a local, I hope you will enjoy what The Garment District has to offer!

And if you're wondering where I am...

**UPDATE**

Still here...

Looks like I've invited some chaos into my life... I'm crawling out slowly.  More info to come.  I guarantee, it will be interesting!

I'm here, just EXCEPTIONALLY busy at the moment, with an enormous amount of information to share.  Stay tuned!

Coming up (I'll link them to this post as they appear):

• The (upcoming) Spring Artisanal Speakeasy Tour
• Tapering (in sports and creative life)
• The "Poiple Shoyt" (my ode to Bugs Bunny)
• Eco-Fashion (apparently, you do care)
• Artisinal as a Movement
• PR Day in NYC
• Speakeasy maps and other maps updated and improved
• Project Chaos... how did I do this to myself?

Among other stuff... hold on.  I can't rush this stuff...

Talk soon!

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.

Speakeasy testimonials

I really love it when people tell me what a great time they had on a Speakeasy tour.  They are truly fun to lead, and, as time goes on, far more interactive, since I can now shift on the fly, according to the interests and vibe of the group. I love that I know the backstory on so many of the businesses in the district, can introduce people to each other in a way that is genuine and warm, share stories, and make friends.  The tours give me much more than they take outta me.  And believe me, we are ALL tired at the end of a Speakeasy tour! I particularly love it when we have my touring partner Cindy along, because she just has a wealth of experience, stories, and ideas that are always endlessly helpful to our participants.

Here are some words some past participants have shared with me after their tours...

You know, it was nice connecting with other sewists on the speakeasy. There doesn’t seem to be that many around!Now that I’ve started sewing again, my friends keep asking… did you make that? And I’ve started to say “yes!”. Kind of cool.
I had picked up a white swirl on black background, kind of a loud print- made golf pants out of it- fantastic.I won’t see anyone else dressed like me!

C.L. (2012 tour participant)

Again- I cannot tell you what that first tour meant. To be able to go back to those people and place orders via phone, be extended the courtesy of periodic swatch deliveries etc. has been amazing.  

T.R. - (2013 tour participant - manufacturer, sourcing in NYC!) 

Thanks for the fun on Saturday! I got a lot out of the day and am looking forward to sewing up some things and planning another trip down! 

M.R. (May 17, 2014 tour participant) 

And thank you for the fabulous speakeasy map! I had a total blast in the Garment District. 

C.R. (May 17, 2014 tour participant)

I had a wonderful time in the Garment District with you and the gang on Sat. Just wish I could do that a bit more often.....

C.C. - (May 17, 2014 tour participant)


 At this point, I have one more Speakeasy tour on the schedule this year.  I will happily add more, if my schedule allows, and interest merits it.  Updated Speakeasy tour schedules and map ordering information can be found here on the blog, and individual, special group, or themed tours can always be requested, using the contact information found on that page.

I wish you all a very creative day!

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.

Coming to the Garment District? Don't know where to go?

Walking along 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, I recently noticed how the food establishments are absolutely TAKING over the block. You can't walk more than ten steps without stumbling across another place to grab a bite.  I ask myself... seriously, how hungry are we?  And more importantly, what are we truly hungry for?

Faster than I could blink an eye, walking between the same two avenues a while later on 37th Street, I noticed how many storefronts are empty or undergoing renovation.  Visiting some of the vendors I have been patronizing for decades now, I can see that only the best can stay afloat these days. Beautiful products abound, and I will continue my mission to help you find them.  The irony of it all is, I have never seen such a gorgeous array of options... but you have to know where to go, or you will exhaust yourself and your wallet with endless searching.  More than ever now, you've got to look "up" to find more places to go!

The weather is changing, Spring is in the air... can you feel it?  And, like the wings of a hummingbird, my machine is humming again.

I now offer  the Speakeasy map to anyone who wishes to purchase one.  (Follow the link, for more info) Complete with names, addresses and special offerings from my go-to sources of sewing-related products and services, this map will help you narrow down your choices to something more manageable and specific to your needs.

Constantly being updated to include my newest finds, this map will help you find special spots of your own.

You may also opt to join me on a future Speakeasy tour, request a private tour, or just contact me for information specific to your own needs.  I'll be happy to help.

Will there be more Speakeasies?  Yes, you can bet your sweet patooties there will be... Schedule to follow soon!

No comment...

Update: This blog is on hiatus for the holiday season.  The new job (see below) and family obligations have made it very hard to keep up, and I intend to make sure this blog is a quality one, with well-researched posts.  I must say... I don't want to jinx it, but I am really enjoying the new job, and the beauty of having coworkers again. While I get used to my new schedule, it is too ambitious for me to try to keep up with this blog, the kids, and life all at once... so the blog is taking a little rest.  I will pop in again at the end of January or so, to give a fresh perspective.

Today, November 4, 2013 (when I first started this post), I am beginning a new job.  Many things have changed for me this month.  All of them good, as far as the big picture is concerned, but I am now moving into a new season in my career, in motherhood/familyhood, and in my life.  

So I got a bit quiet for a moment, (now it is November 17th as I write this) as I always try to remember that while the blogosphere often feels like mass friendship, is actually a bullhorn of sorts.

Here's the thing: 

I got a new job without looking for one.  I saw one job that interested me, put in one resume (written for that job only), interviewed at a few levels a few times, and I got it.  I felt it was a sign from the universe, so I took it!  To do this, I had to undo some agreements I had already made, not take on new projects, cancel some pretty expensive obligations, and make some people wait longer than they wanted to for me to honor some promises I had already made, and made some people angry, all because I couldn't spill the beans on a job I couldn't be sure would turn out as I expected.  So, yes, it was a bit messy, but had to be done. (Note: I did negotiate in the time for the Speakeasies I had already scheduled, although tomorrow's speakeasy is now cancelled, due to very light interest.) If you are waiting for any answers from me, and haven't heard anything by late this evening, just reach out to me, and I will respond.

So, now, here we are... and things are just lovely.  This is not a fashion job, but it makes use of skills I have acquired over my career thus far, and gives me a much more predictable schedule.

So, what about the Speakeasies?  They will continue to be carefully scheduled, whether led by me, or by a beloved sewing colleague, and as valuable and focused as ever.  Due to limited interest in the Spring Speakeasies, I have removed them from the blog until people start asking about them again. 

By the way, thanks to the garment district, I also have a killer work wardrobe (and more supplies to expand it) now, too!  We are business-casual, which is just perfect.