Jay, the owner of Floret Fabric, is a jovial and elderly gentleman, who will most likely greet you at the entrance of the store from the comfort of his lawn chair. "Come in and look! Looking is free!" He says.
The front is entirely exposed to 9th Street--no door, no wall. Metal, roll-up door brings you face to face with a myriad of bolts of fabric (mostly upholstery and a variety of linens and laces too) for your viewing pleasure. What's more, Floret Fabrics carries heavy-duty cotton canvas! (Do you hear this all of you cost-conscious fine art painters out there?!) He has a variety of colors, including the natural, oatmeal colored one--which is the one I sought. It costed me $7/ yard. Compare that to your art store prices! He gave me a deal because I got 4 yards.
I had hunted up and down the street for a sturdy cotton canvas and nobody else I met in the Fashion District had carried it. As a last hurrah, I tried Floret, and jeez, I was so happy that I did! read more