NYC Notions Store Review: SIL Thread

Note: See the related post on Responsible Blogging, which refers to posts like this one...

Address: 257 West 38th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-997-8949
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Online site: n/a
Best for: YKK zippers and other dressmaking supplies in a store where you're basically on your own

I have ambivalent feelings about shopping at SIL Thread in the Garment District. On the one hand, when I need notions and dressmaking supplies and I'm already in the Garment District, it's my go-to store when I don't have time to shop around. But "service with a smile" and "it's all about the customer" don't seem to be important management mantras here. Questions are answered with a yes or a no and nothing more; don't even think of asking a "which is better to use, this or that?" kind of question unless you like getting blank stares.

Garment District News Watch: Wall Street Journal Article

Bryan Derballa for The Wall Street Journal

"Garment District Frays" is the headline of a Wall Street Journal article published today:

"Not far from Times Square in Manhattan, reams of fabric and rows of buttons still line the corridors of West 38th and 39th streets in the Garment District.The area, once full of the city's top fashion houses and garmentos who sewed buttons and stitched patterns for the city's retail shops, has been shrinking for decades."

I wish I could say it's an optimistic piece and that zoning issues are being actively resolved to the benefit of garment district businesses. Read the entire article by Shelly Banjo here. You might want to stop postponing that future shopping trip to NYC's Garment District….

Hotels in the Garment District Area: Any Recommendations?

If you aren't a local like me, what hotels do you stay in when you come to NYC? Readers have asked that I include hotel recommendations here. I know that's a pretty broad question, as New York has a gazillion hotels large and small, so I'd like to focus on hotels in the Garment District general vicinity first, followed by recommended hotels in the Midtown West area. Let me know! And I'm still seeking restaurant recommendations too...

Reader Tip: Getting Home All That Fabric You Just Bought

Planning a trip to NYC for a little Garment District shopping, but are worried about not having enough room in your suitcase for all the fabric and supplies you hope to buy? Though some stores will ship your purchases to your home (I know Metro Textiles does this), most of the time you're going to end up schlepping heavy bags around the city and hoping you can cram your goods into your already-stuffed suitcase. If this is you, read how my commenter Anonymous makes traveling home from the Garment District more manageable:

"When I make the trip to NYC, I take along a roll of package tape, a Sharpie, a ball of twine, scissors, and those wire and tube handles they sometimes give you at stores to hold the handles of your shopping bag together. I also try to put at least 2 Priority Mail boxes (flat) in my suitcase.

Getting Your Fabric Fused Is Easy, Getting It Home Is Another Story

My good friend Cidell of the sewing blog Miss Celie's Pants was in town this past week for a little Garment District shopping, and she stopped in at Quick Fuse & Cut on W. 36th Street to get several yards of fabric fused with interfacing. Read her adventures in fusing here, and if you aren't familiar with her blog do check it out. Cidell has one of the freshest, most original voices in sewing blogdom; I keep telling her I wish I was a literary agent and knew how to package her to land her a book deal. I'll do my best to post a review here of Quick Fuse & Cut soon.

Where Do You Grab a Bite in the Garment District?

Honestly, I am the last person to ask for Garment Center area restaurant recommendations. Most days I eat yogurt at my desk so I can save money to buy more fabric. But readers have asked that I compile a list of decent restaurants in the Garment District and vicinity, and I think that's a good idea.

Today I met three sewing friends for lunch at a new vegetarian fast-food place, Loving Hut, at Seventh and 30th, and we all licked our plates. What about you, STGD readers? Where do you like to eat lunch in this general area? Meet for dinner or cocktails? Leave me a comment here or email me, and I'll put together a list to post on this site. Thanks!

NYC Trim Store Review: Botani

Address: 263 W. 36th Street, NYC
Phone: 212-244-3222
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 am to 6 pm. Closed weekends.
Online store: Botani Trim
Best for: Handbag hardware, and buttons, and for anyone who appreciates a well-edited and well-lighted trim store

Trims and fashion hardware are obviously selling well in the Garment District. Mood Fabrics expanded its trim department about a year ago and now Botani, long known for its buttons, has leased the retail space next door and added a new fashion hardware section. Plus they've turned some office space in the back of the store over to Lampo zippers and trims.