NYC Garment District Stores

Fabric Stores

B&J Fabrics

For: fabric and only fabric
Open: M-F 9am-5:45pm

The best-organized, best-labelled, least-overwhelming fabric store in NYC. Ideal when you really care about knowing the fabric type & content because you shop on labeled placards with swatches, rather than every other store of just stacks of fabric bolts.

You will see some sections of absurdly expensive fabrics. You just have to accept that, and feel blessed to witness and touch them. $200 wools or silks. But there are plenty of reasonable prices for more basic fabrics. It's my favorite for shopping for linings.

Mood

For: fabric, tulle & muslin, interfacing, Gutermann consumer thread, pattern paper.
Open: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat. 10am-5pm

The largest fabric store, and the most well-known one thanks to Project Runway. It's busy and overwhelming on Saturday and in the last hour of workdays. You have to fish out the sales tag from inside the bolt to find the price, and it only sometimes details the fabric composition.

Misc

Gray Lines Linen for good & cheap linen. Tell them what weight you're looking for to get pointed to the right section.

Trims & Notions

Pacific Trimming

For: buttons, trims, binding, hardware, zippers (RiRi not YKK), Gutermann consumer thread
Open: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat. 10am-6pm

This store largely has everything you could need that's missing from fabric stores.

M&J Trimming

For: fancy buttons/trims, patches
Open: EVERY DAY! M-Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 11am-6pm

I didn't know what fancy buttons were til I went there. I largely only go here when I first see Pacific doesn't have quite what I was looking for.

Sil Thread

For: sewing tools, Gutermann industrial Mara thread (many weights!), hair canvas interfacing, YKK Zippers, scissor sharpening, industrial machine feet
Open: M-F 9am-5pm, Sat. 9am-3pm

Packs of Hymo & Hair Canvas run $20 for 1yd x 60".

Misc

Panda International Trading is right next to Sil offering largely the same things.
Hai Trims & Feathers for everything sparkly and feathery. Fun to aimlessly browse as everything is super bold.

Installs

Jonathan Embroidery

For: button holes
Open: M-F 9a-6p, Sat: 9am-2pm

Mark your button placements clearly in chalk, or use pins. Bring your button so they can use it to determine button hole length. They have plenty of their own thread, they'll find a match.

Pay in cash.

Steinlauf & Stoller

For: grommet, snap, rivet installation
Open: Wed-Fri 9am-4pm.

(They're open every weekday, but these hours above are the only times they do installations)