Writing this post has taken me a long time, mostly because I have so much to say and so many photos to share. My love of Manhattan’s Garment District trimming stores knows no bounds - I simply cannot get enough! I moved to NYC in 2006, and spent many an afternoon in midtown, running errands for my internship at Diane von Furstenberg, and occasionally picking up a bag of sequins or a couple yards of cheap fabric for myself, as I was sewing a lot back then, too.

Since then, the Garment District has changed a lot - sometimes for the good, for example Project Runway injected a lot of life into Mood, which carried over into surrounding shops. Due to Covid, the area is struggling and many businesses are not going to survive rent hikes and fewer customers. So if you make it to the city, spread some love (money!) around.

If you’re looking for a shopping guide to NYC fabric stores, I’ve got those for you here:

Part 1: Top Tier Fabric Stores

Part 2: My Favorite Fabric Stores

I’m going to dive right in with lots of information and love for each of these shops. This is not an all inclusive list, rather, these are my favorite shops, that I pop into with regularity, where I know I can find what I am looking for. There are other shops too, and if you are in the Garment District, I encourage you to poke your nose into any shop that you find appealing as you pass by. (Click on any of the photos to enlarge.)

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M&J TRIMMING

I’ll be starting here and “walking” east on this Midtown roundup. Up first, let’s pop in to M&J. If you are visiting New York from out of town, this is a good place to begin your Trim Adventure. The store is spacious and organized, and it’s clear how to go about having trim cut, as the shop is set up more like a traditional haberdashery. Employees stand behind counters or at set stations, and will pull trims off the wall for you (though you may also do so yourself), measure them, and put them into bags with barcodes, which you take to the front when you are ready to pay.

The layout of M&J has changed a few times over the last few years, but it is always organized. They have an authentic Swarovski counter, a large selection of every kind of ribbon, a full rainbow of pompom trims, and a large selection of home decor trims. All the way at the back is a small room dedicated to buttons. While I tend to head here for ribbon, I found the buttons I used on my red winter coat here, and I cannot imagine a better button.

Location: 1008 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to destination for: Velvet ribbon, pom pom trim, high end buttons

B&Q TRIMMINGS

If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt, you will love B&Q. Slow down, relax into the experience. The focus here is on decorative trims: plastic rhinestones by the pound, Austrian crystals and crystal trim sold by weight (many of these are behind the counter), feathers, ribbons, soutache, sequins, beads, all different kinds of iron on patches. Do you need to make a tiara? A little fascinator to perch on your head? They have those supplies.

Once you settle in, the shop is organized, just very tightly packed, with catergories spillling into each other. Ribbons and lace are at the back of the shop. Take your time browsing because they have good stuff! Don’t be nervous to go into a weird little corner, all the nooks are full of merchandise. Brand new trims are mixed in with vintage deadstock items you won’t find elsewhere. Once you find something you like, you will need to locate someone to help you - likely near the central cash wrap. If you have multiple selections, they will assist you with everything all at once. They are super friendly, so if you can’t find something, just ask, and they will direct you to another part of the shop.

Location: 102 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Rhinestones & gems, deadstock belt buckles, hat making supplies, unusual vintage ribbons & trims

EAST COAST TRIMMING

Just down the street from B&Q, you will find East Coast Trimming. As soon as you step through the front door, into the dimly lit shop, you are transported. Are you in Paris? Is it another decade? Are you Amelie?

The reason this shop is so fantastical is because they have one of the most comprehensive ribbon collections on the planet: in 2014 they became home to all Hyman Hendler Ribbon, a brand established in 1900. The staff is extremely knowledgable. If you need to color match a fabric or existing trim, or if you are looking for something very specific or historically accurate, they will show you where to look. The selection is unrivaled: every possible grosgrain stripe, bias cut hand painted silk habutai ribbons, fine laces wrapped on pink paper spools, silk flowers, fancy buttons; many of them in cabinets behind glass (ask for assistance). It is mind-boggling and intoxicating. The back of the shop is dedicated to bridal, many of these trims and laces are deadstock or vintage. Everything is gorgeous.

East Coast has the finest quality and prices to match. It’s more expensive than other shops but you will understand why. It should also be noted, when the Japanese trim supplier Mokuba closed up shop in early 2013 (it was located across the street), East Coast took some of their inventory. They also have reasonably priced pre-cuts of trims (spool ends), that are hard to resist.

Location: 142 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Ribbons and trims I thought only existed in my dreams, inspiration.

LAUREN TRIMMING

Lauren Trimming is the sister store of Joyce Trimming, which closed early this year (ugh, 2020). Joyce was located directly across the street from B&Q and was one of my haunts since 2006 - the sequin wall was a huge draw for me! When I saw Joyce was closed, I beelined for Lauren. Luckily, over the last few months, they appear to be slowly inheriting Joyce’s inventory. Here you will find: tasseled trims, stretch and non-stretch lace, the sequin wall is back (!!!), and what I’ll call novelties: purse handles (a slightly weirder variety than elsewhere, which you know I adore), iron on patches, novelty belt buckles, feather boas - sort of random bits & bobs that you’re gonna need at some point. You can buy buttons and thread here, as well as Austrian crystals and hot pink marabou trim. You’ll find everything on your shopping list, plus something you never expected.

Location: 247 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Trims by the yard, purse handles, something unexpected for my stash.

HAI TRIM & FEATHERS

This store is exciting! The colors are bright, the materials are fantastical, and the music is bumping. Hai caters to costume makers for events like the annual West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn (a really fun parade to attend btw, if you’re not into dancing, get yourself a nutcracker & some jerk chicken). They have every imaginable material available if you need to create six foot wide neon feathered wings, or a custom rhinestoned bra. If you’re not quite that adventurous, I personally guarantee your eyeballs will be dazzled by the astounding assortment of rhinestone trims, sew on stones (no, you’ve never seen ones like these), chains, rhinestone appliques, feathers, and bedazzled lace fabric by the yard. They have counters for Austrian glass rhinestones. The staff is very helpful and welcoming.

Location: 237 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Rhinestones of all kinds - I’ve bought opaque neon sew on plastic ones, and Austrian glass.

PACIFIC TRIMMING

Y’all I’m gonna do my best to keep this brief. There will absolutely be a stand alone post for this store later. I’ll start by saying, if you only have time to go to one trim store while you are in midtown, and you must get all the notions on your list for finishing multiple projects: go to Pacific. In 2018-19, Pacific got a huge facelift - they completely renovated the interior of the store and expanded. The new shop is huge, very well organized, and has pretty much whatever you need to finish a project. The button selection is tremendous. Hardware, belt buckles, chains, studs, they’ve got em. Fabric dye, notions, bag making supplies….I honestly can’t think of something they don’t have.

Pacific has an expansive selection of elastic. Pretty much any kind of elastic your heart could desire. They carry RiRi zippers and will customize the length and the way it opens - buy your zipper, and when you purchase, let them know you need it shortened and with two pulls, and they’ll get the job done. (If you’d like this service but prefer YKK brand zippers, head to SIL Thread down the block - I’ll be covering them in a post about notions shops.)

Location: 220 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: BUTTONS!, elastic, fabric dye.

Botani Trimmings & Lampo Zipper NYC

As is the case with many stores in NYC these days, Botani & Lampo have overhauled their shop interior, limiting the areas customers may enter and what you can touch. That being said, the selection is still impressive. On the Botani side of the store they have a large selection of hardware (think buckles, closures, snaps, etc.) as well as a full rainbow of snap closures, assorted trims, and of course, buttons.

Usually, you can walk seamlessly from one size of the store to the other, but they are separated by plastic since the pandemic. Lampo Zipper is the kind of place you don’t see outside of garment districts - they have spools of zipper coils, walls stocked with boxes of zippers and zipper tapes, the biggest zipper teeth I’ve ever seen, and people sitting at desks (plus some mysterious….zipper machines?), filling orders for custom zippers. They stock what they call a “trouser zipper” - a lightweight but super durable zipper that has a locking pull, so your fly won’t un-zip itself unless you are intentionally unzipping. They also carry a lot of athletic rib knit trim.

Location: 263 W 36th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Snaps, unusual hardware, special use zippers.

DAYTONA TRIMMING

Daytona is one of my favorite shops in the world. This store can only exist in New York - the vibe, the customers, the cats. It’s Old School. It’s unique and wonderful. Daytona has every manner of decorative trim you may need, and a super friendly and helpful staff who will show you what you’re looking for or let you browse on your own. When you’re ready to purchase, they cut everything and put it in a cute pink plastic bag, with prices written directly on the bag. It’s an efficient system. Oh, and the cats? They’re down to just one, but Rick & Rack are celebrities in their own right, and with good reason. If you’d like a shopping companion, they are often at the back of the shop and enjoy being pet.

Daytona has an amazing selection of jacquard ribbons, a full rainbow of rick rack (duh!), stretch and non-stretch lace (I have the best luck finding it here), floral embroidered trims, upholstery trims, spools of any kind of ribbon you want, as well as a yarn loft! Yes, yarn. They have a little bit of everything and it’s always unclear what era it came from - could be vintage, could be brand spankin new. Daytona is notably the only shop in Midtown that stocks Big 4 paper patterns. They have current season books out for you to flip through, and a lot of discounted past season patterns are toward the back of the shop, by the rick rack.

Location: 251 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018

This shop is my go-to for: Lace trims, rick rack, ribbons, Wright’s brand bias binding.

I’ve mentioned this in my fabric posts, but I feel it the most here: this is my little love letter to the Garment District. Popping in to the shops and chatting with the shopkeepers has filled me with joy for years. The thrill of the hunt never gets old for me. There is always hidden treasure to be discovered. Unlike the fabric stores, you can buy things at these shops for literal pennies (with prices going as high as you like!). These are small businesses and foot traffic has ground to almost a halt in midtown, so from the bottom of my heart, I urge you to put on your mask and support these shops if you feel safe and are able.

There are more trim stores than what are listed here - those left out will either be in a later post, were mentioned in previous posts in this series (the haberdashery & trim section of Mood deserves an honorable mention here) or I wasn’t able to get photos etc. because of their Covid protocols (for example, at the time this was written, Trim Art has signs asking that you do not enter the shop unless you know you are making a purchase - and while I try to always buy something when I visit these shops for my write ups, I wanted to be respectful).

I don’t normally ask, but if you found this helpful, please like & comment - sometimes when I’m taking a lot of photos, shop owners will ask about it. When I can show them that I’m going to tell others about their shop, it really opens up the conversation and sometimes they show or tell me about things in their shop I wouldn’t have otherwise known about - it’s a win/win for everyone.

Alright y’all, I’ve made myself nostalgic. If you go shopping, tag me on Instagram, I wanna see! XO, Martha