Garment District Speakeasy Tour - Summer 2024

 

Wednesday, August 21

Speakeasy tour (in person)

10AM-4PM

Psst... Walking tour of quality garment district stores and related services, appealing to both hobby and professional makers, seeking fabrics, notions, etc.  

The itinerary is below. This one's $115, and includes a sit-down lunch, and is a definite "go", no matter how few or many attend, with no change in price. All conditions regarding cancellation or inability to attend below apply, and full refund or future tour if anything beyond my control prevents me from leading this tour (weather, illness, etc.), of course.

Itinerary:

10AM - 1PM - 

Shopping (Will include a specifically selected set of stores with a wide variety of offerings suitable for many different purposes/types of garments, appropriate for the theme of the day's tour. Relevant additional information, suggested additional resources and appropriate on-site expertise will be available.)

1PM-2PM

Lunch (local restaurant reservation for our group, already included in your fee.)

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 $90 per person. If you use this trip to shop and participate in what the NYC garment district has to offer, you will save at least as much as you are paying in supplies and education, and probably far more.

Wanna come? Click above, send payment, and the details on meeting time/place will be provided.

From outta town? If you need hotel and/or travel help, I will advise some of the BEST NYC secrets I know! 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 in weather-appropriate gear, and healthy.

Regarding cancellations:

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

 Fewer than 7 days - 50% 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 reasons not related to weather, newsworthy acts of God or other emergencies, you are entitled to your choice of a full refund, or a future tour.

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 garment district tour will be...

September 22, 2017.  Click here for more info.

Today, I saw a sobering post from Seek LLC tours, stating that they will no longer offer fashion tours in NYC.  As businesses disappear, I wonder what the future holds...

While I understand Seek's choice, I do feel that there is still a glorious fabric shopping experience to be had here, and I will continue to lead you through it.  Since I have not been a competitor of SEEK for the same type of service, I have recommended SEEK tours to some of you who have a greater interest in fashion shopping than in the process/exploration of making things. I hope someone will fill that void.

I can agree that there are fewer people interested in group tours, and I have found that I lead far more private and small group tours than the larger crowd tours these days.

Keep in mind, there are always maps, too!

You'd be amazed at what creative pursuits, exhibits, fabrics and notions you can explore in the district.  

And...

I'll still be here to show you.

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! 

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!

All is quiet

Things are awfully quiet in the district right now. This post is encouragement to put your money where your heart is...

Other than M&J Trimming and Mood, when was the last time you had to actually STAND ON LINE in a garment store?

Really, think about it...

Things are pretty quiet in the district these days.  Sure, many design businesses get their goods over the phone, online, and by sending assistants, gophers and interns to swatch, so when you shop nowadays, you've got a pretty good amount of elbow room in many of the district's best places.  If you read this blog, you already know where to go to find wonderful things!

We need these stores to stay in business and thrive.  We need them to continue to have great things for us to buy!

A recent Speakeasy participant told me that she used to sew long ago, but her interest was recently rekindled when she discovered that the things she truly would like to buy are not available in stores.  Tired of settling, she realized she could make things!

How about you?  I'm in a very creative moment right now, working to make beautiful things with fabric I've had for some time.  Here are some ideas that sing to me:

Roman shades!



Recovering an old chair/sofa!

 
Making a new dress - kinda inspired by this!

Using patterns and colors that delight!

Showcasing features, colors and textures that excite me personally!

My machine is humming... more later!

Custom garment district tour, and an Australian girl's dream achieved!

Showing only the dress, for her privacy's sake...

I am often amazed at how far the tentacles of this little blog can stretch.

Some months ago, a wonderful Australian woman came to visit New York City, booked a quick custom tour with me, and together, we found the perfect fabric, supplies, and notions to create this beautiful dress for her daughter's school ball (like an American prom) gown.

Funny enough, the Australian fell in love with this particular fabric (slightly different from what she chose for her daughter), and bought what became the under-layer for herself, but, upon her return to Australia, her daughter LOVED it, so I went to the garment district to procure a matching chiffon layer for this dreamy silk, and sent it to her in Australia!

*Note: The dressmaker commissioned to make this gown is in Australia, and she did a stellar job!

If you didn't know it already, this effort proves that a mother's love is boundless! What a lucky girl!

Sometimes you have to walk away... Sometimes you need help... Sometimes you have to know what questions to ask before you can find the answers...

Glorious woolens - I'll show you where! (Or you may already know...)

This post was inspired by a recent private tour I did with a client.  I love to help people navigate and shop the garment district, and often help to teach them the garment district culture, so they know how to operate to get what they need.  Since the readers of this blog are both shoppers and proprietors of businesses in the district, I cannot share some some of the specifics with you here (I'd have to whisper... and you're not within earshot), but here is some food for thought. Some of you know many of these answers already, and believe me, it would be nothing but helpful for you to comment publicly below if you are so inclined... but I will also comment when I feel an answer is specifically incorrect and/or incomplete.

So... let's say...

You've found a great fabric for your project.  You need 3 and 1/2 yards of it.  When the sales assistant unrolls the fabric, you see that there are three full yards, and a 3/4 yard piece of it, perhaps with a jagged swatch cut from one corner.  Do you buy it anyway?  How much of it do you buy? What should the vendor offer you (if anything) as an incentive for you to buy it?  What factors do you need to consider?  What question(s) should you ask?

You see a fabric you love, and you are thinking of buying it.  You ask for the price.  The vendor asks how much you want to buy.  What is your answer?

You see a fabric you want to buy.  You ask for the price.  The vendor hesitates, and then gives a number.  What question do you ask next?  How would you get a sense if the price quoted is fair?

You are thinking of starting a line, or producing something in significant quantity.  You want to find the right vendors for your supplies.  Where should you start?  Do you go to your favorite fabric store? Do you go to the Fashion Kiosk? Why, or why not?

You want a reversible invisible zipper.  Does it exist?
You want a two way invisible zipper.  Does that exist?
You need bra cups for an evening gown.  You are between a C and a D cup.  Do you buy the cup that may be a bit too large, or a bit too small?  Why?

You need buttonholes made.  How do you mark them?  Is there a correct method to get the results you need?  What are your options?

Where can I get handbag hardware?  Once I get it, will I be able to actually make a bag on my own?

Why aren't the answers to these questions listed above?

This marks 31 years that I've been shopping in the district  - and yes, I've been sewing and shopping here since I was a child (not joking), and I've learned a great deal.  It is my goal to help you learn a great deal, too! Click here to book a private tour, get a map, or or come on a Speakeasy, and I'll help you learn what you need to know!