Mendel Goldberg Fabrics

Gorgeous fabrics, no doubt about that. But you’ll have to spend at least $ 140 a yard (and up, up, up). Being a beginner, I like making gorgeous clothes on a more modest budget — more fun for me that way. I found treasures on 39^th Street and at Mood that make me deliriously happy. I saw a lot of negative comments about the owner and I see their point. However, I found her pleasant, especially considering that she was talking to someone who had no intention of buying anything at those prices (for the foreseeable future, anyway)! But there is the adage «you get what you pay for.» In my week of looking at fabrics in NYC, I saw the most beautiful textiles here.

The owner is an asshole. She has no idea how to take care of customer. She treated me like crap and tell me to come back 1 hour to get my fabric cut. What is the point of her being there??? Definitely not coming back. I rather go to Mood, Elegant fabric and B&J. Just go to garment District.

Most unhelpful people and it seems deliberately so — if they cannot make a buck off of you they don’t give a you know what.

Wow! This place is couture fabric paradise. They have some very luxe fabrics here. Many are imported, all are gorgeous. I’ve not been in a store where I’ve seen $ 110/​yard fabric before, so I was a bit shocked. I don’t know how they compare price wise to other high-​end fabric shops, but everything was elegant and beautiful.
Make sure you venture to the back of the store to see a wall from the 1900s that was excavated after a fire and a really cool skylight as well!

I haven’t visited NYC for a few years, so haven’t actually been in Mendel Goldberg’s shop for a while, but I’ve used their swatch service and mail order. Alice does know her stuff, and was very nice to work with whenever I was at the shop, although then her father, Sam, was still in charge. When I was going to NYC regularly, I always used to send a big box of fabric home from this shop. You can’t be in a hurry here — you need to search slowly and carefully through the bolts. I make most of my clothes, and have always found this shop to be a marvelous source of fine fabrics, especially woolens. Make a somewhat generic list, go in the morning, shop till you drop, then have lunch in Chinatown.

I just did a sample run on my line and boy what a difference! I tried to source my fabric at mood (rude) and aside from putting up with an aggressive salesperson and creepy-​eye-​bally floor staff, they didn’t have the stretch fabric in the color I swatched. I was already in the neighborhood sourcing bulk muslin at Zarin and they suggested that I try MG. Someone named Alice (the owner I think?) worked with me. She could have been more patient, but she really new her stuff and saved me a huge mistake in my yield calculations.
If you have the time and the patience to shlep to the LES (the real LES), this little shop is worth the trip even if only for their experience and knowledge. You have to give them the same respect that you would a rep in the D&D building though, I saw a ‘swap-​meet-​Louis’ girl get fully pwned by Alice as I was leaving. She totally deserved it. Personally, I would have loved to see Alice get ‘slappy’ but alas, civility prevailed.

I went in the other day and was shocked by how poor the customer service was in this place… not only is it old but doesn’t seem to have booming business and/​or a glorious selection and to be beyond rude and racist in 2011 is shocking. Especially when your instincts are off and you would have made a very large sale.
Whoever the female representative was that was working on weds. ³⁄₃₀ should not only be ashamed of herself… but fired. IF she is the owner… yikes. I am usually a person who loves to work with local businesses but I can’t imagine with customer service like that they will be able to survive much longer. So sad for a business that touts having been around since the 1800s.
P.s I went to Zarin fabrics… even though they aren’t for clothing fabric and they were glorious and courteous and not an ounce of nastiness. Plus it was clean and much more organized.

I’m a fabric buyer for a major NYC arts organization and this is one of our «old but great» sources. We don’t shop here often enough because of the location, but sometimes they are the only ones who carry some of the really old styles that we need to replace old costumes. I wouldn’t necessarily use this store for new productions, but when we are remaking old productions, they have great «historical» styles like metallic brocades, antique satins, textured wools, etc. The staff and ownership is a certain kind of «helpful» that some people might find abrasive, but I have warm relationships with them and do actually find them to be helpful.

Decent selection of tulle, limited lace, and helpful salesperson. The bossy owner shortly took over «taking care of me» and she is the reason I wouldn’t return.
I was looking for a specific piece of netting which no one in the store had heard of. She basically mocked me and asked if I was sure I had the right name of the netting. «Yes, several seamstresses have used it.» She also didn’t listen to me when I reiterated something she said cementing the fact that she could only hear herself. Seriously, my unfortunate second experience of helpful staff and rude management. The prices weren’t great either. Alencon lace ran $ 450/​yard. Lace Star or B&J would have had the same pieces for ¹⁄₃ the price.
Save a trip and don’t come here.

while it seems like they might have a nice selection of fabric here, the saleswoman wasn’t able to locate (or bother looking for) the materials i asked for. she also kept telling me the things i asked for were either expensive or too large for what i was making.
apparently i don’t look the part of the average woman that shops at mendel goldberg’s, but i know how to select fabric, pay for it, and cut/​sew, so…
my favorite fabric store in the neighborhood has closed and this one certainly won’t be replacing it.