Buying Fabric in New York City

December 19, 2007 8:53 PM

Where can I buy fabric near midtown NYC?

I'll be in town on saturday and sunday (so stores closed on both days need not apply) and I'm looking to buy fabric for two projects.

The first is to find a nice big bit of warm cloth that I can wrap as a Keffiyeh without it looking like one (which elicits unwanted attention). Probably thick flannel or something. A lighter cotton would be good for the summer as well... but is not super important.

The other project is screenprinting a cloth goban. I'd like this to be something reasonable durable that can fold up to pocket size.

Rumor has it the (suprise, suprise) garment district has many places you can walk in and filter through fabric. Many require wholesaler's licenses (which I don't have). Where can I find the former?

posted by phrontist to shopping (5 comments total)

39th or so between 7th and 8th Avenues, give or take a few blocks. You'll find lots and lots of stores. Just stick your head in and ask if they sell to the general public.
posted by tangerine at 8:59 PM on December 19, 2007

Mood Fabrics, of Project Runway fame, is open on Sat. is located at W 37th and 7th Ave.
posted by falconred at 8:59 PM on December 19, 2007

The "wholesaler only" places are mostly the places that sell finished goods, like ugly handbags or insane zoot suits in zebra patterns. Most of the fabric stores, anyone can walk in and buy stuff. There are ten zillion of these stores from about 29th street up to say Times Square between roughly sixth avenue and eighth avenue.

The stores are warren-like, inside and out. They almost all specialize in some subtype of fabric or garment-related goods (trimmings, buttons, zippers) and if you don't go there all the time, its hard to find the store that specializes in Incognito Keffiyeh supplies. However, the stores are clustered by specialty, and the people that work in the stores know what all the other stores have, their precision decreasing with distance. So just walk into the first one you see and say, "do you guys have any thick flannel?" And they'll say, "No, but you should check 37th between 6th and 7th." Then, when you get to that block, ask in the first store you see, and they'll say, "oh, go to the third place from the end of the block on the other side of the street." Then you go in there and just tell the people what you're looking for. Trying to browse the piles of stuff is useless, because you can't really see everything, and 90% of the stuff is in the basement, or upstairs, or in the closed off hallway down past a huge roll of circus tent canvas. The people in the stores will then start pulling out bolt after bolt of fabric and causing all sorts of disarray, but you just say, "no, thicker. do you have it in red?" and follow them till you find what you want or they give up. This should take no more than five minutes per store. Good luck.
posted by jeb at 9:07 PM on December 19, 2007 [5 favorites]

jeb has great advice. Also know that prices are often rather fluid. If you have time to play games, ask how much something is, wait for the answer, then start drifting out the door and say "that's a little more than I was hoping, maybe I'll come back later." Often they'll start offering you better deals.
posted by edlundart at 10:19 PM on December 19, 2007

Not everything will be open on Saturday, and nothing will be open on a Sunday, but check 37th, 38th, and 39th streets between 7th and 8th Ave. I don't have a wholesale license and I buy fabric from these places all.the.time. The men love to flirt and bargaining is a cinch. Have fun!
posted by infinityjinx at 7:37 AM on December 20, 2007