NYC Fabric Store Review: B&J Fabrics

Address: 525 7th Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-354-8150
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. -5:45 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m. -4:45 p.m.
Online store: B&J Fabrics
Best for: Luxury fabrics for those who don't need to check the price per yard

11/02/10: Read my fresh take on B&J here

B&J Fabrics on Seventh Avenue is the place to go when you need to make a drop-dead, one-of-a-kind, red carpet gown.

I like to visit a Chanel boutique at least once a year. Not to buy (as if I can afford Chanel!) but to observe the styles, the fabrics, the garments' interior finishes and exterior touches. It's the big girl's equivalent of a field trip.

Unless you've got a Chanel-sized budget, B&J Fabrics on Seventh Avenue in the Garment District belongs in the field trip category of fabric stores. Many of the stunning fabrics you'll find here are well over $200USD a yard. I gasped at the $810 per yard price tag attached to a piece of feather-trimmed embroidered organza, but others report they've seen fabrics at B&J's going for $1,200 a yard. That's over $33 an inch!

I asked Scot of B&J for a definition of a typical B&J customer. "I'm not certain there is one," he replied, listing Seventh Avenue fashion houses, theater and movie costumers, stylists, boutiques, and couturiers and dressmakers as groups who frequent the store. He named home sewing enthusiasts as well, but I think that should be qualified as home sewing enthusiasts with Park Avenue budgets.

To be fair, I saw lovely Liberty of London cotton lawns that, if I remember correctly, were around $45 a yard, and I even found a family wool tartan for $10 a yard. Some of the basic materials were similarly priced to fabrics at Rosen & Chadick, Mood Fabrics and New York Elegant Fabrics. But most of what you'll find at B&J is well over $85 a yard and aimed at those in the market for red-carpet gown material.

Bottom line: Go at least once for the gawk factor.

How about some feather-trimmed organza? It's just $510 per yard.

Looking for luscious velvets in spectacular colors?

Or how about embossed leathers?

Here's the beaded and feather-trimmed organza that's a steal at $810 per yard.

At the lower end of the spectrum, how about pailettes on silk chiffon for $155 per yard?

A customer checking out the Liberty of London prints.

I liked the inspiration boards located throughout the store.

Some cotton prints artfully displayed.

NYC Fabric Store Review: A.K. Fabrics

Address: 257 W. 39th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-944-5693
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Online store: A.K Fabrics; akfabricscorp@yahoo.com
Student discount with ID? Yes
Best for: Basic fabrics at affordable prices

A.K. Fabrics is the Gap of the garment district: When you want the fabric equivalent of a plain white t-shirt or a pair of khakis, this is the place. Stocking the basics in mostly natural fibers, A.K. Fabrics carries cottons, denims, wool, silk and velvet.

And the customer service is first-rate. Sali Raddani, whose father opened A.K. Fabrics thirty years ago, helped me with the fabric I bought, and her cuts were generous. (Love a store with generous cuts, don't you? Paron's is also good this way.) As I browsed the store, her two brothers Azam and Khan asked if I needed any help but then didn't hover when I told them I was just looking. A couple of times, people walked in off the street asking for fabrics and if they didn't have what they were looking for, Sali, Azam or Khan pleasantly directed them to other stores in the area.

A.K. Fabrics has an online site, though it really represents only a fraction of what the store on W. 39th has to offer. Sali says you can call and describe what you're looking for and they'll be happy to send swatches or fabric to any state or country. Daytona Braids & Trims is just a couple of doors down from A.K. Fabrics, so you can get your fabric and trim in one fell swoop. If you don't need to be wowed by designer fabrics and want quality basics at affordable prices, check out A.K. Fabrics the next time you're in the area.

That's Sali Raddani in the corner. Her father opened A.K. Fabrics 30 years ago.

A.K. has an ample selection of cotton prints, many with stretch. Some of the prints look a little dated.

I also saw wool suitings, gabardine and cotton shirtings at A.K. Fabrics. Fabric prices range from $1 to $35 per yard, according to Sali Raddani.

Jonathan Embroidery: Buttonholes While You Wait

Address: 256 W. 38th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-398-3538
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Online site: Jonathan Embroidery
Best for: Saving you from making dreaded buttonholes

Just like the sign says, Jonathan Embroidery in the garment district sews professional-grade buttonholes while you wait.

How fabulous is it that you can get professional buttonholes made in NYC's garment center—while you wait—for $1-$2 per buttonhole. I really don't like making buttonholes. Does anybody? I mean, by the time I put my buttonhole foot on, make a test sample or two, the technicians at Jonathan will have sewn 10 perfect buttonholes.

So yes, I am a complete Jonathan Embroidery buttonhole convert, letting them sew all my buttonholes for me, keyhole and regular. You usually don't have to wait long to get your buttonholes made—I'm typically outta there in twenty minutes or less. Do have your buttonholes marked in advance, either with pins, chalk or marker. The only thing left for you to do will be to snip some threads. Now if they could just sew the buttons on for us….

Note: Jonathan's takes cash only; no credit or debit cards accepted.

A buttonhole technician preparing to sew buttonholes on a coat I made in 2008.

A view of the buttonhole area.

Sewing a keyhole buttonhole.

Hundreds of thread color options.

Jonathan Embroidery has a decent selection of buttons.

NYC Button Store Review: LouLou Buttons

Address: 69 W. 38th Street (near Sixth Avenue), New York, NYC
Phone: 212-398-5498

Hours:  Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Online store: n/a

Best for: the wide assortment of buttons of all materials

I am a button fanatic. I frequently replace the buttons on the clothes I buy because I feel that buttons are a detail many RTW manufacturers think they can skimp on. I cringe when I see fellow sewists create a stunning jacket and then ruin it with cheap-looking buttons. There's no need to limit ourselves to the meager selection at Jo-Ann's when places like M&J Trimming sell beautiful buttons online. And if you're visiting NYC's garment center there are several excellent button stores, including LouLou Buttons on W. 38th Street.

LouLou Buttons is small and more manageable. When costumers for stage and screen need buttons they turn to LouLou Buttons. I've chosen LouLou Buttons for several jackets and tops I've sewn and will continue to shop there.

LouLou Buttons is just one long room of buttons. But what buttons they are.

NYC Trim Store Review: Pacific Trimming

Address: 218 W. 38th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-279-9310
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 7:00 pm; Saturday 10:00 am - 6 pm
Online store: Pacific Trimming
Best for: Hard-to-find hardware, like jumbo covered snaps, Riri zippers, covered hooks-and-eyes, etc.

Pacific Trimming, with its crowded aisles of bric-a-brac, reminds me of the five-and-dime stores of my childhood, where you could always find something to make you happy. I dare you to walk out of this store without buying anything.

Pacific Trimming is on my list of Garment District trim stores I regularly go to. Need hardware for that handbag you're making? Belt buckles for your safari jacket? Rings for your bikini? This is the place. It's cramped, though recent changes in store layout helped, and it's often crowded with designers' assistants and FIT and Parsons students, but there is usually enough sales staff around to answer questions and help you find things.

This post would go on and on if I included all the photos I took at Pacific Trimming. There's such a variety of stuff. Even if you don't have any trim or hardware on your shopping list, do yourself a favor and stop in here anyway just to experience that kid-in-a-candy-store feeling that you never get at Jo-Ann's or Hancock's.  Or, just come along on a Speakeasy tour!

Pacific Trimming has loads of buttons.

Loads of handbag hardware.

There's belt buckles galore.

Visit Pacific Trimming for sportswear zippers of all colors and sizes. They'll also cut zippers to your exact measurement.

Need a chain for your Chanel jacket?

NYC Fabric Store Review: Rosen & Chadick Fabrics

Address: 561 Seventh Avenue (west side of 7th, enter on 40th), 2nd floor and 3rd floor, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-869-0142
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:45 pm; Saturday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Online store: n/a
Best for: the personalized service

Since 1952, Rosen & Chadick Fabrics has been a customer service favorite of designers, fashion students and home sewing enthusiasts alike.

Rosen & Chadick Fabrics is the rare Garment District store that manages to do two things at once: Sell top-quality fabrics while providing top-notch customer service. I'm placing the emphasis on customer service here because that's a quality shoppers have reported lacking at some of the other well-known garment center stores.

I got a warm welcome from David Chadick when I walked into his store on a recent Saturday. When I told him I was in the market for interlinings for a coat I was making, he knew right away what I needed and pulled out several bolts for me. (Asking about interlinings at another popular fabric store in the area got me nothing but blank looks.) I saw David give the same level of customer service to other shoppers in the store—and this was before I told him I write a blog about stores in the garment district!

I found scrumptious high-end fabrics of all kinds in this bright, well-lit store that overlooks the garment district: silks, cottons, wools, shirtings, necktie silk twills, laces, velvets, brocades and more. I fell in love with silk charmeuse chain prints created just for Rosen & Chadick in several colorways. The windowsill on the second floor that faces W. 40th Street is lined with bright cotton prints—something you tend not to see so much of in the garment district. While I was there a woman was picking out cotton prints for a quilt she was making.

Will you be jumping for joy over the bargains you found at Rosen & Chadick? Nope. Their prices are what you would expect for fabrics of this quality. I paid $32.95USD per yard for a silk twill print. But the blouse I made out of that silk twill turned out great—every time I wear it I say to myself it was worth every penny and then some.

That's David Chadick on the right helping a customer. He wants you to know that he's usually dressed in a suit, but it was a Saturday when I snapped this photo.

Loads and loads of fabric to choose from, but it's just the right amount. You can shop here without going into shock from fabric overload.

Making a bridal gown in the future? Look at all this exquisite lace.

Colorful cotton prints line the windowsill that overlooks W. 40th Street.

These silk charmeuse prints were created exclusively for Rosen & Chadick.

Rows and rows of silk prints. I think I spent 45 minutes here trying to decide which one I wanted to take home most—tough because I wanted them all!

NYC Fabric Store Review: N.Y. Elegant Fabrics

Address: 222 West 40th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-302-4980
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Online store: n/a
Best for: Faux furs, theatrical fabrics, and lots of everything else

Brace yourself before entering New York Elegant Fabrics: It's BIG!

New York Elegant Fabrics has to be one of the largest fabric stores in the Garment District. With some 20,000 square feet and two levels, this store seems to have a little bit of everything. Don't let the "elegant" in the name fool you as it did me: I was expecting to find a store with only laces, brocades and materials for gowns and the like. But New York Elegant Fabrics has fabrics ranging from cottons and shirtings to real furs and fake furs. It feels more like a traditional fabric store you might find in any major city but without the notions and patterns.

Prices at New York Elegant Fabrics seem to be on par with Mood Fabrics and Rosen & Chadick: No bargain-basement prices here. I saw many of the same types of fabrics you'd pay less for at Paron's, like wool suitings. But I also saw silk charmeuses in playful prints that would be great for jacket linings, and specialty fabrics, like brightly-colored, quilted nylons that would make cute barn coats or vests for little girls.

According to Charles Yoo, the owners' son, New York Elegant Fabrics does steady business with the theatre industry, providing fabric for shows like "Wicked" and the Metropolitan Opera. You can see that costumers would easily consider this store their favorite place for one-stop shopping—it's just so big, and the staff is very helpful. New York Elegant Fabrics has been selling to retail customers in NYC's garment center for more than 20 years.

Truthfully, I was a little overwhelmed the first time I visited this store. There's just a lot of fabric to see (not that that's a bad thing). I feel I need to go back a couple more times before I can realistically assess where this store rates on my need-to-visit fabric shopping list. Until then, if you have the time and since it's just down the block from Paron Fabrics and Paron's Annex on W. 40th, do pop in New York Elegant Fabrics.

That's Charles Yoo, son of the owners, behind the counter. He's incredibly helpful and friendly.

You'll find rows and rows of printed silk charmeuses to choose from. Lots of fun jacket and coat lining options here.

Just to give you an idea of the store's prices.

I thought these double-sided, quilted nylon fabrics in bright colors would make cute jackets for toddlers and little girls.

The faux furs looked high-quality and there is a large selection.

New York Elegant Fabrics has the real stuff too.

Looking for cotton shirtings? This store has plenty of options.

You'll find loads of specialty fabrics, like this appliquéd sheer georgette.