Chic Fabrics

I stumbled upon here looking for satin. This place had more fabric than room and the aisles were rather narrow. I was very pleased with their selection though I do wish it was better organized. I also wish they had print cotton fabrics. I might’ve missed it. But they did have a good selection of satin for you to choose from for $ 4.99 per yard. The Indian man who helped me was very friendly and helpful and not pushy at all. They also had charmeuse on sale for $ 3 a yard! I thought about getting it in satin instead but I can always come back for more. The best part of this store is that they were selling brocade for $ 8 a yard! This was fancy brocade and that is the cheapest price I’ve ever heard for brocades. I do wonder what price their cotton goes for. I will be returning here for more fabrics very soon! They have an excellent selection of pinstripes and the brocades. ^_^

Having relied on Unilocal to choose a fabric store to go to for my first jaunt into the Garment District, I quickly realized something important: since there are so many stores in the area, similar in many ways except that each specializes in different kinds of fabric, it’s difficult — if you have a specific fabric in mind — to find a place that will suit everyone.
If I had gone on Unilocal reviews alone, I never would’ve gone to Chic Fabric. Instead, I would have visited Paron and AK Fabric (which I did, except I found them too expensive and their range of prints and soft dress fabrics limited).
But I’m thrilled that I stumbled upon this shop anyway! Yes the store is a bit cramped, but the selection of printed silks (which is what I was looking for) was excellent. Pretty and very well priced ($ 12 a yard for some really lovely silk fabric — which to me is a good price since I was paying a similar price for cotton online and in Brooklyn).
The shop owner, who is from Bombay, was friendly and I didn’t notice any staring and I wasn’t followed around by some bothersome employee. So, all in all an excellent experience and I’m definitely going back. (Also, I’m honestly not looking for great service when I’m shopping in this neighborhood, just good fabric.)
Having said that, the shop might not be for everyone. Depending on what fabric you’re looking for, it may not be the right place for you… I noticed some pretty cotton printed fabrics at the back of the shop and as I said, they have some lovely silk… but if you’re looking for a wider range of cotton fabrics, polyester or spandex/​glittery or sequined fabrics, then you may want to go elsewhere.
Best advice from someone who has scoured the Garment District for a day? Put aside a couple of hours, visit every store on 39^th and 38^th and see what you like! It took me many visits to a variety of stores to find the fabric I loved (which was here, at Chic).
Also, as a side note: if you are looking for RAYON, be warned that I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE (though I did find some rayon mix fabric). Apparently, it’s not a fabric that is easily found in these parts. If you want rayon, go on Etsy!

I genuinely love this price. It’s open and not dark and dingy (so you can see the fabrics), the prices are GREAT, and the selection is vast for your average person and not just the costume makers of Broadway. My PET PEEVE is done here: When they cut the fabric, they don’t even try to cut a straight line… so you can have a five inch difference, making it tough to have an accurate 36 inch yard. It’s really frustrating.

I don’t understand the bad reviews. They are completely contrary to my many experiences at Chic Fabrics, easily my favorite fabric store. The prices are much better than other well known shops. The selection is varied enough that I go there first when looking for something specific. My loyalty has garnered attentive service and fare to better prices. I’ve bought everything from cashmere to chiffon to corduroy and silk velvet.

I like this place. It is crowded with bolts of fabric, but it is unique fabric, and I usually barter for a better price, in fact I think the gentlemen there expect some negotiation.

I hate this place. the men who work in the store stare to the point that it starts making you uncomfortable! I liked two of their fabrics and the guy quoted me at some ridiculous price so I said peace! I came back a few weeks later because I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful the fabric was and the moron quoted me $ 10 more per yard. Seriously? Did I not just speak to you a few weeks ago? Idiots.

It was so crammed and the men hanging out at the door were checking people out as you walk in. Then they follow you around like bees until they get to pounce with an over quoted price. They really took customers for idiots.
Sooo many other places to go where you get the space and freedom to browse with price tags on fabrics — check out NY Elegant Fabric and Paron.

This place has some very inexpensive fabrics, but the service is horrendous. While I was browsing this morning, one of the sales men asked me if I was from India (I assumed he was asking because he was from India too) and I told him I was. He then made some comment about how there is a lot food in America and I should really try eating some of it so I can put on some weight. what? I ignored the comment and stepped out to browse a few other stores in the area.
In any case, I returned an hour later to buy some chiffon I had spotted earlier. The price tag very clearly said $ 5.20 per yard, but the sales clerk (same one) insisted it was $ 7…not a huge price difference, but I was planning on buying several yards. I showed him the label which clearly said $ 5.20 and he replied that the price was referring to a different fabric and accused me of switching out the price tags. I then mentioned that the price tag label had a swatch of my fabric actually STAPLED to it, so unless I happened to have a stapler in my handbag, there was no way that the fabric was labeled incorrectly. He took the label out of my hand and ripped it up right in front of me. This attracted the attention of another sales clerk who came over to see what was going on. After they spoke in another language for 30 seconds, the second sales clerk proceeded to tell me that the label wasn’t for their store. Then they both walked away and proceeded to ignore me. They have some inexpensive fabrics, but I’ve never had a remotely good experience at this store.