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Fabric Shopping in NYC!

September 16, 2021 Becca Moore and Dani Rosenberg Season 1 Episode 31
Make Dance Fun
Fabric Shopping in NYC!
Info
Make Dance Fun
Fabric Shopping in NYC!
Sep 16, 2021 Season 1 Episode 31
Becca Moore and Dani Rosenberg

Episode 31 was recorded from our hotel room in New York City!  We are here again after missing it for 2 years searching for fabulous fabric for our custom costumes! 

At Rhythm, we have always designed our own costumes and had them made for our performing company dancers. For years, we would have people ask us where we bought our costumes or how we went about designing them and the actual sewing process. So, a few years ago, we created Fabric Shopping in NYC: A Complete Guide for Designing Custom Costumes available for purchase in our Confetti Shop. It’s a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect fabrics and trims to create custom costumes for your studio. We use it ourselves and this trip, we used it to confirm which fabric stores were still in business, and most are still going strong! 

What is the same?

  • The feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the choices that NYC fabric shopping gives you is definitely the same! We were worried the garment district took a hit due to Covid with Broadway being shut down, but it is alive and well with most of our favorite stores still in business with tons of amazing fabrics! 
  • The many, many smells are the same! 
  • Amazing trim and appliqué options - the same! 

What's different?

  • A few locations have moved or closed, not many have fully disappeared. The store owners told us the break was a great time to negotiate rent and better opportunities.
  • One of our favorite go-to stretch houses - Spandex World (it was on 35th) is no longer there. We think they have just condensed to their Queens location, which we didn’t make it to on this trip. 
  • Several restaurants are gone but we found a few new ones that we loved! Beatnik on 38th near Broadway is vegan and great! 

Top 3 places we shopped this week (all between 7th & 8th)
Spandex House  - 263 W. 38th - Always a go-to! They have TONS of stretch fabrics, are super nice and the same people have been working here for years! They always let us store things, move fabric around and let us sit on the floor and figure things out! And, they have quantity on site, so they can handle big orders! 

Vardhman, Inc. - 269 W. 39th  - This TINY store has trim, elastic and ribbons. Small but incredible selection of fun appliqués and patches. Think smiley faces, flowers, eyeballs, planets and quirky, fun sparkly little things! 

MOOD - 225 W. 37th on 3rd Floor  - The building is called “Bricken Arcade” and you can enter on 37th or 38th. This store is the best store EVER - the options are limitless! They have every type of fabric in every color, texture, print, weight...it is a literal fabric candy store! 

We highly recommend checking out the Garment District -mainly 37th - 39th between 7th and 8th.  Learn more here!

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Show Notes

Episode 31 was recorded from our hotel room in New York City!  We are here again after missing it for 2 years searching for fabulous fabric for our custom costumes! 

At Rhythm, we have always designed our own costumes and had them made for our performing company dancers. For years, we would have people ask us where we bought our costumes or how we went about designing them and the actual sewing process. So, a few years ago, we created Fabric Shopping in NYC: A Complete Guide for Designing Custom Costumes available for purchase in our Confetti Shop. It’s a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect fabrics and trims to create custom costumes for your studio. We use it ourselves and this trip, we used it to confirm which fabric stores were still in business, and most are still going strong! 

What is the same?

  • The feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the choices that NYC fabric shopping gives you is definitely the same! We were worried the garment district took a hit due to Covid with Broadway being shut down, but it is alive and well with most of our favorite stores still in business with tons of amazing fabrics! 
  • The many, many smells are the same! 
  • Amazing trim and appliqué options - the same! 

What's different?

  • A few locations have moved or closed, not many have fully disappeared. The store owners told us the break was a great time to negotiate rent and better opportunities.
  • One of our favorite go-to stretch houses - Spandex World (it was on 35th) is no longer there. We think they have just condensed to their Queens location, which we didn’t make it to on this trip. 
  • Several restaurants are gone but we found a few new ones that we loved! Beatnik on 38th near Broadway is vegan and great! 

Top 3 places we shopped this week (all between 7th & 8th)
Spandex House  - 263 W. 38th - Always a go-to! They have TONS of stretch fabrics, are super nice and the same people have been working here for years! They always let us store things, move fabric around and let us sit on the floor and figure things out! And, they have quantity on site, so they can handle big orders! 

Vardhman, Inc. - 269 W. 39th  - This TINY store has trim, elastic and ribbons. Small but incredible selection of fun appliqués and patches. Think smiley faces, flowers, eyeballs, planets and quirky, fun sparkly little things! 

MOOD - 225 W. 37th on 3rd Floor  - The building is called “Bricken Arcade” and you can enter on 37th or 38th. This store is the best store EVER - the options are limitless! They have every type of fabric in every color, texture, print, weight...it is a literal fabric candy store! 

We highly recommend checking out the Garment District -mainly 37th - 39th between 7th and 8th.  Learn more here!

Subscribe & Share
You are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost! 

Let's Get Social!