Fulton Fabrics

I procrastinated on my Halloween costume and needed some bright blue fabric for my Mortal Kombat Raiden costume. So day of, I stumbled across Fulton Fabrics, and it was all too perfect. They have a ton of colors, thicknesses and materials. So much so that it spills out onto the sidewalk. The guy who helped me out was super nice, and the fabric I ended up getting was incredibly cheap (I think I paid like $ 3 for a yard). Can’t really speak to how well it would work with specific applications, but it did what I needed it for. It did leave my apartment with some glittery sequins everywhere though…

I agree it is a very cramped store with only very narrow aisles in which to walk. But that is because it is crammed with giant rolls of fabric, which is exactly what the store is all about. So, one can hardly object. There are endless rolls of fabric in here. I won’t say there’s hundreds, but there are many, many dozens. They’re stacked up against the walls like cordwood. Otherwise it is a very bare-​bones store. Like a whole-​saler. No restrooms, no changing rooms. No water. Nevermind such amenities, that’s not what you’re here for.
Other reviewers are correct about the phenomenal bargains to be had. As an example: I purchased 4 bolts of elaborate fabric each 36″ x 72″. Price: just $ 28 fish! The process is this: enter the store, select your fabric of choice and then flag down the ‘guy-​with-​the-​shears’. The ‘guy-​with-​the-​shears’ will come over and shear off however many inches of fabric you want from the roll. You may have to hold one end of the thing so he can wield his instrument. Watch those fingertips!
Next: I agree that yes they could use more staff. You do wind up ‘waiting’ 15 mins just to have your wishes serviced. But hey listen, that just gives you some more time to examine some more patterns. (Do you want this one? Or maybe this one? What about this other one? What about this one over here? I dunno, hold it up – no? Yes? No? Oh Madge, I think this would look just darling… Pittsburgh-​Steelers-​tea-​cozies for Jim’s den. etc etc etc)
Yep. In a layout like this, the fabric you *really* want may be buried a bit deeper under other, more popular designs. So, take your time. No need to make a hasty decision where textiles are concerned. Its so easy to err –and then, you’d simply have to return, so be patient and get it right!
Anyway, the shears-​guy folds up your choice for you and you take it up to checkout. Bim! Bam! Boom! You can be in-​and-​out of this place with your purchases in 20 minutes. It takes less time to make the purchase than it does, just waiting your turn to be served, I guess.
No matter. Fun store.

My wife loves them. Always has the fabric she’s looking for. Almost every visit is a home run!

You can get some cheap fabrics here. The store is very small and I swore everytime i turned around I was hitting a fabric or someone. There were 2 people working when I went on a Sunday afternoon. I think they may need a 3^rd person because if 1 of the 2 people was busy with a customer and other was ringing up a customer, you just had to wait.
I did get some of what I was looking for. I didn’t get as much expert knowledge as I wanted but for $ 3/​yrd, the job got done!

Found cheap lining fabric for $ 2/​yd. Place is small and cramped.

I like this place a lot, they have a bunch of different types of fabrics and the associates that work there are very helpful when you are looking for a certain type of fabric. It’s way cheaper than the expensive HIGH PROFILE fabric stores in Mid Town. If you want to save money come here and its in Downtown Brooklyn which is surrounded by everything!

I didn’t know what to buy so I had to ask the man at the counter. Helped me find the right colors and fabrics. The front of the store has the cheaper stuff and towards the back its more expensive. Overall, the place is packed with all different kinds (to my knowledge, there seem to be a ton of different kinds.)
The only downside is it’s kind of cramped and street parking is very hard to find around there.

I haven’t really compared this place to other fabric stores, but they do have cheap prices! The place is very congested and sometimes there is only one employee to assist, but everything is pretty straight forward.

Great deals to be found for basics. I’m not a big sewer but I make costumes for halloween and the occasional home item. The store is packed– you have to dig a little and sometimes what you want is in the back of the stack or in the bottom of a box. Decent selection of trims for $ 2/​yd, lots of beaded trims, rope trims, ribbon, even some sequined trims. Every time I’ve gone I have found what I needed, but I find I always must ask for help as things are not labeled… Go during the week if you can when it’s less crowded, sometimes it can be navigate when there are a lot of shoppers. I certainly wouldn’t recommend coming here with a baby in a stroller, you won’t fit down the aisles!

Discount, discount, discount!
I’m sad that this is the last of the discount fabric stores left in the area — and you better hurry because the ‘tallest condo in brooklyn’ just opened down the block and another is building across the street, so they may not be here for too much longer.
Fabric is stacked all over the place so it may be hard to have a good browsing experience if you aren’t happy with slogging through piles of stuff. However, if you know what you are looking for, the staff knows exactly what they have and where it is — easy in — easy out.
I went for fleece to make a winter lining — $ 5 a yard — sold.

I have recently gotten into the sewing craze and believe me, it’s been an expensive start. From my machine to supplies. I was hardly prepared for the fabric prices, especially when I saw what other places were asking for until I came here.
There’s an enormous selection packed into this place with a friendly staff. I’ve gotten heaps of vinyl and cotton from here and it rings up under $ 30 every time! Love this place!

This is a gem of a store. Very deeply discounted fabrics. To echo another reviewer– they have what they have. Great for making craft projects and home accessories. On my last trip there scored beautiful velvet upholstery fabric (polyester though) to cover a couch at $ 8 a yard. Something similar would cost about $ 55/​yard elsewhere. However, I learned that if you are buying a large amount of velvet (or any fabric) it is best to keep it on the roll to avoid creases and damage! Great trims and ribbons too.

The staff was helpful. I showed him a picture of the fabric I wanted and he was able to find it quickly. Large selection. Price: $ 3/​yard for fabric inside the store. $ 1/​Yard for the fabric displayed outside. Would recommend to those who like to sew.

Other positive reviewers said it all — I will definitely go back!

I was looking for a fabric store in Brooklyn and I was glad I found Fulton Fabric. Do not expect this place to carry the fancy fabrics sold in the city, and thank god it would have been so much more money. For the most part, this place does not have a lot of printed fabric. There were a few floral in the back and that was it. They had beautiful silk in the front, wanting me to buy some to make a dress, and the cheaper ones outside the store. I came in to look for any type of heavy colorful fabric that would look good for making a pouf and I found everything including supplies for under 60 bucks. The service was great and I even had a small discount.

I’m glad that no one was hovering over me asking if I needed help when I walked into this store. It makes me feel uncomfortable because then I feel compelled to buy something even though I’m just looking around.
This place is filled with a variety of fabrics ranging from $ 1 to $ 10. The cheaper fabrics are at the front of the store and the expensive ones are more toward the back. They don’t have many cotton prints, but I managed to find a floral print for $ 3.50 that I really liked.
This is the second time I’ve shopped at a fabric store before and I didn’t expect the store to be so packed. I will definitely check this place out again.

Totally a fan! As others have said, this is the only fabric store left in the area. Bridge St and the next one over used to be filled with around a dozen or so fabric stores as late as the early– to mid-​2000s. My mom and I have been going here since the early 1990s. It’s sad to see this is the only place left. But I digress.
Others mention upholstery fabrics. I don’t really sew but I know how to fix up furniture and make it look all pretty. What I don’t like is the cost of upholstery fabric. Locally, I’ve got chains like Hancock and Joann and while they have sales like every week, their prices don’t even come close to matching Fulton Fabrics. For $ 2−5/yard, I get decent quality fabric for my projects. Inevitably, half of my luggage gets filled up with fabric.
The downside is that the prints are limited. They have what the have, and while it does change, don’t expect to find just the print you’re looking for. Last time I went, I was looking for an inexpensive fabric to reupholster one of my benches and didn’t come across a single thing that matched. I was also looking for a black and white print to recover a stool I have (again, personal use) and while I didn’t come across anything of that nature, I did come across a very cool, trendy print (a deep neutral with script writing across it) that was only $ 4 or $ 5 a yard. It was cheap enough to buy that I don’t have to worry about ripping it off and redoing it again a couple years down the road when the fabric pattern looks dated. I also bought great fabric a couple years ago to create a headboard for my sis and BIL and it still looks great.
The staff is very helpful and always ready to get you the bolt you need. No pushiness and no airs of pretension. I hope this place sticks around for a very long time.

The guys who work there are really nice and neither hover over you nor bet with each other whether or not you will actually by fabric they way the guys at Belraf did when I went for the first time. Much of the fabric was $ 3 or $ 5 a yard and select fabric was on sale for $ 1 or $ 1.50 a yard-​like organza! They didn’t have much selection when it came to cotton, especially cotton prints, but they had a lot of patterned and solids of heavier fabric. I got sheer polyester for $ 3 a yard and a spool of thread for 40 cents!
The fabric was relatively organized for a small, discount fabric store, especially when compared to Belraf although Belraf has a much wider selection, and their ribbon and zippers and other notion were super neat and easy to find.

Eminently worthy of your attention. Not the biggest. Not the best. But in those places you often do not find a bargain. I went in looking for fabric to cover a day bed mattress. The guys at Fulton Fabrics were friendly and had a great selection. I could have chosen several of their offerings.
And their prices are terrific.

Fulton Fabrics is the lone survivor of a row of discount fabric and notions stores that used to line Bridge St. above Downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall (the biggest of which even used to stock patterns). Most of their fabrics aren’t that high-​quality, but they have some fun prints, the prices are low low low, the service is good and it’s nice to have a basic fabric and notions store in walking distance of my apartment in a pinch!
What they have:
–Fabric: Lots and lots of discount synthetic (mostly polyester) fashion fabrics in a decent range of prints and colors: charmeuses (including polka dot fabrics, ooh!), chiffons, organzas, broadcloths (these may be poly-​cotton blends, but the bolts aren’t labeled and I didn’t ask), ginghams, nettings, lace, slinkies, jerseys, stretch and non-​stretch velvets, satins, taffetas, linen-​like fabrics, juvenile-​print fleeces, sequined fabrics and more. Many fabrics are just $ 1 or $ 1.50/yard, ideal for making muslins or costumes or other quick fun garments. The poly charmeuses are $ 4/​yard, and the velvets were a bit more than that.
There was a good selection of fabulous African-​print cottons for $ 4/​yard as well, an exception to the general polyester domination.
You won’t find high-​end designer fabrics or almost anything natural here, but these fabrics have their place and are great for quick/​cheap/​fun garments or muslins.
Finally, they also carry many interior decorating fabrics, some of which were quite nice, for $ 10-​$ 13/​yard.
–Trim: Ribbons, braid, and some other trims – I didn’t inspect too closely.
–Notions: They have a small notions wall with pins, sewing machine needles, seam rippers, tailor’s chalk, measuring tape, covered button kits, crochet hooks, patching kits, scissors and more. They even carry Gingher shears, though of course I already have a pair.
Some years back I made a $ 4 skirt from some $ 2/​yard polka dot brown and white polyester woven I got there that I still love to this day. Today I bought 2.5 yards of $ 1.50/yard black and white gingham to make a wearable muslin for another skirt.
Bonus: they’re open past 7 most nights and are open Sundays as well, plus it’s in walking distance.
If you live nearby in Brooklyn (as I do), it’s totally worth a stop. But this is not a «must-​see» store if you’re visiting NYC from out of town – you’re better off sticking to the Garment District.
In sum: Cheap fabric at cheap prices and good customer service. Great to have in the neighborhood.