NYC Fabric Store Review: Spandex House

Address: 263 W. 38th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-354-6711
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Store web site: Spandex House (Call for swatches to be sent in the mail)
Best for: Spandex, well duh. But also really nice lycra prints and soft cotton-lycra solid knits

If sewing activewear or swimwear is your thing, or you make costumes for ballet and dance, you need to visit Spandex House in NYC's Garment District. This store is the epicenter of all things spandex and lycra. The prices are reasonable, the bolts are wide (usually about 72 inches), and the sales staff is attentive.

Find of the Week: Warm Coat Linings at B&J Fabrics

B&J Fabrics has Sunback lining for coats and jackets in loads of colors, even some prints, like this paisley above.

A relative of mine just bought a really cute duffle coat at J. Crew Factory, but after wearing it this weekend she realized it wasn't going to provide her much warmth. So I told her I'd replace it with a heavier lining fabric, known as Sunback or Kasha lining. It's satiny on one side and like a soft flannel on the other. Really boosts the warmth factor without adding bulk.

I called the fabric stores in the Garment District I thought might carry Sunback lining: Mood, Rosen & Chadick, NY Elegant and B&J. Mood only has it in hunter green ($12/yd), Rosen & Chadick carries only a couple of colors and charges $20/yard, and NY Elegant has several colors at $12.99/yard.

But B&J has oodles of colors, even a print or two, at $10.95 a yard! That's lower than the online prices I've found for Sunback lining. I never thought B&J would be the winner in this category, but there I go again, underestimating this store. I bought two yards of Sunback lining in a paisley print (photo above). Call them at 212-354-8150 and ask for swatches, or visit their web site: B&J Fabrics. Tell them Shop the Garment District sent you!

Note: I swear I saw Paulina Porizkova buying fabric in B&J when I was there. Had to be her.

Poll: What's Your Favorite Garment District Fabric Store?

Hey readers, I'm curious to know which Garment District fabric stores you consider your favorites. Since I shop on my lunch hour I tend to be partial to the ones closest to my office: Mood Fabrics and Elliott Berman Textiles, which both have wide selections. Take the poll below and let us know your top picks for Garment Center fabric stores.

Things to Do in the Area: Holiday Shopping and Ice Skating at Bryant Park

 The ice skating rink at Bryant Park is NYC's only free admission ice skating rink.

If you're in the Garment District area between now and the end of December, take a walk over to Bryant Park at 40th and Sixth Avenue. The holiday shops are open, and browsing the unique items in this festive setting is a welcome break from pawing through bolts of fabric. I was there last week and bought a funky Japanese calendar for my daughter in college and two black-and-white photos of Yankee Stadium for my 15-year-old son. Plus I had a major celebrity sighting.

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...