ALRIGHT BUCKLE UP SIT BACK AND BRING A SNACK MY FRIEND.

I know them more by location than address so plug everything into maps to find out where you’re going, but you’re not going to venture much higher than 40th or lower than 37th st, or outside of 6th and halfway up 8th. 

Supplies:

Miju Sewing Supplies: threads, snaps, hardware, machine repair, scissor sharpening, zippers, pretty much any other sewing supply need you can think of. I’ve only every had super lovely interactions with the family that owns the store. Their prices are usually the best ones out there.

SIL Thread: gigantic assortment of thread types and colors, a ton of sewing supplies, huge zipper assortment, they also have things like garment bags and hangers. If you want a one stop shop for sewing needs I’d say head straight here.

Trims ‘n Things:

TrimArt: LOVE the proprietor, nicest lady. Lovely assortment of trims and hotfix stones, studs, etc. Great source of transfer vinyls too if you need that as well.

Lauren Trimmings: In addition to a great selection of trims, they have A LOT by way of notions. Buckles, buttons, patches, charms, cabochons, studs, appliques, and so on. 

Hai’s Trimming: I don’t go to them very often because they specialize in very over the top crystal trim which I rarely use, but they do have a very solid collection of acrylic gems, which is incredibly useful. 

M&J Trimming: HUGE Selection of all kinds of trims, jacquard ribbon, expensive laces, upholstery weight trim, velvet trims, gold braids. Lots of very high quality stuff, huge variety. They also have a button and notion section as well as a lot of great appliques. The biggest drawback is that they’re on the pricier side if you’re just there for something simple, but it’s not crazy. Sometimes you just want to go somewhere and know you’ll find what you need.

B&Q: really good trim selection, quite a lot of reasonably priced lace trims. EXCELLENT gem bead and crystal selection.

Pacific Trimming: they are huge. Another store I’d consider one stop if you want to find what you need. Lots of elastics, trim types, gorgeous laces, huge button and notion selection, giant zipper selection. 

C&C Buttons: they do buttons buckles and have a selection of patches. The most important thing you need to know is that they cover buttons and I always get mine done there. 

Fabric:

There are so many stores that aren’t Mood and you just need to walk up and down 38th and 39th between 7th and 8th to see plenty. 

Stretch House and Spandex House are both great sources for every single stretch material you’d ever need. Spandexes, meshes, jersey knits, stretch velvets. Pic below is a small selection from Stretch House.

Guide Fabrics is a great store if you need to buy very simple things like lining or interfacing in bulk. 

Ebad Fabrics and Day to Day Fabric are good if you’re on a budget and need to get a good deal. 

B&J Fabrics is a considerably high end store with prices and a selection comparable to Mood. So I’d say go if you need to find something really special, but don’t get your basics there. Also when I want a challenge I browse their little remnants bin and see what I can create, this dress is one of those projects:

I definitely haven’t covered everything but I think what I’m going to start doing on my Instagam is restart my #fabricstorefriday and highlight my favorites to try highlight my favorite places in the Garment District as I think of them. It’s been rough because a lot of my favorite haunts have closed or moved and I’m still trying to find what happened to some of them. 

The majority of these stores are absolutely small business so there’s a good chance you’ll interact with the owner. It’s a very human shopping experience so they’re also on the list because they’re great people to buy from.