First off, we stayed in Club Quarters, a hotel on W 45th Street (between 5th and 6th avenues) that caters to business travelers. With our discount (offered by my employer), our stay was about $200/per night, including taxes. For the most part it was pretty nice. Despite being less than two blocks from Times Square, it wasn't very noisy. I'd read a lot of bad reviews about the hotel on Trip Advisor, that really were not justified. Although, if you are looking for a high level of service, concierge, etc., this is probably not the place for you.
The "fabric district" was about 4-5 blocks away from my hotel. The majority of stores are located on W 39th Street, between 7th and 8th avenues. There are also a few located on W 40th Street (see my links!). A lot of places on W 39th Street seem to make up prices as they go along. Bolts and rolls are not marked and heaped together everywhere. I overheard some shoppers bargaining with store owners, so that seems to be acceptable in many of the places. I wish I had worked up the nerve to bargain myself, because I'm pretty sure I got taken for a ride! My advice to shoppers is to spend one full afternoon looking at all the stores, and getting a feel for who bargains and who doesn't. I saw the same prints in many different shops, some priced differently. Then, when you've seen and heard, go back and spend!
I was really blown away by New York Elegant Fabrics. They have a cheesy name, but a vast selection of high end fabrics. I've never seen so much beautiful material in one place. Sadly, it was all out of my price range. Across the street was Lace Star, which as you can probably guess specializes in lace (beaded lace, regular lace, you name it). Again, prices here were not clearly marked. I also made it to Rosen & Chadick, Paron, and several hole-in-the-wall places on W 39th. I really enjoyed Purl Patchwork in the Village, but didn't enjoy the knitting store as much. The merchandising was very nice, but everytime I went to touch a ball of yarn, the staff would kind of look at me fishy. It was also pouring rain that day, so I was looking for a welcoming experience.
I bought some interesting prints, which I will bring in to SnB for show and tell. Here's a sneak peak:
Stay tuned for Part 2... PatchesMom1973's boring vacation photos!
2 comments:
I wish I knew how close I was to all that fabric when I stayed at that Club Quarters this summer! Although, it was the "jumping off point" for trips to Purl and Purl Patchwork!
Oh, I can't wait to see those prints!
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