I am SHOCKED that no one has rated this business. When you first walk in you see one or two guys,…read moreand I thought uh oh this ain't gonna be good. Then they greet you and ask if you need something. It's very small the place, but everything is neatly organized. Then... I asked for help finding something. Not only did the guys show me what I asked for, but told me of ways of using it and what else would be good. They were honest on the quality of some items (for example, wire cutters - you can go with a cheap one, but the quality of this other one is good because of xyz.) They sell beading needles, findings, beads as well. I gotta be honest, I don't go there for the beads, so I cannot rate the beads in anyway. I go there for the wires, tools, and some findings (clasps, etc.) The help they provide and knowledge is just wonderful. The prices are also not bad. Note that parking during the week is almost impossible, and if you park in the wrong place the cops are really quick to give you a ticket. Mass transit is the way to go on going to this store.

Elvee Rosenberg misrepresents some of their vintage beads. Many of their beads ARE NOT vintage…read moreJapanese from the 1960's but much more recent beads made in India. I'm not sure how dumb they think people are but they can't fool everyone!

Toho Shoji has a great collection of MIYUKI and Delica beads! They don't have Toho!! The employee…read morewas super helpful when addressing my questions because when I first arrived, I didn't know where to find the toho beads! The value is standard for NYC, a little more pricey but generally in step with the market for US!

I've loved Toho Shoji since their days on 36th St. and 6th Ave, been shopping here since I was 16…read more They're the only bead and trimming store from that era still standing, and I've always appreciated their consistency. Kazumi has been my favorite manager for years--our encounters are always joyful--and today I also met Tamaki, who had a wonderful, welcoming presence. Normally my visits are a 9-10/10, but this time fell short due to Kaoru's behavior. After I politely declined a tray in the crystal section, she sucked her teeth and muttered something under her breath. Later at checkout, Kaoru -- a woman with a bob haircut) -- ignored my question until I repeated it, tossed my receipt at me, didn't bag my items, and walked away when I asked her name, telling me "it wasn't necessary". I also couldn't help but notice I was the only one who looked like me in the store at the time, which made the interaction feel targeted. This was especially disappointing because every other transaction I've had here has been handled with care. As a loyal, long-time customer, I hope Kaoru's attitude improves, because the warmth and professionalism I've consistently received from Kazumi and Tamaki are what make Toho Shoji such a special place.

Finally found what I needed and I have to give a shout out to the assistance I got from Preston in…read morethe Framing department. Not only did he help me find what I needed. He helped me discover a discount of buy one get one free. And then even helped pack up the huge package so I could carry it home safely. Above and beyond service with a smile and great conversation. What customer service really is.

I appreciate arts and crafts stores though mainly rating 3 stars because sadly this is the only…read moreMichael's store left in Manhattan, which unfortunately means certain areas of the store can get really picked over--especially seasonal items--right before peak holidays. To some degree I understand that many retailers are tighter on inventory to reduce how much needs to be sold at deeper discounts after certain holidays are over. However this also means certain things run out and there's no selection left which could also mean lost sales, which was the case when I came to look for a couple Christmas-related products a week before Christmas and much of that section looked decimated outside of wrapping paper, kitchen/dining supplies, some decorations and wearable accessories. They were already setting up for Valentine's Day. Walking around the store, I still appreciated that this location is still around, it's been a while since I've visited so I was glad to see still a strong selection of frames, scrapbooking supplies, paints, yarns and ribbons/trimmings. They also installed more self-service checkout machines. The shopping stop wasn't altogether unfruitful in that I picked up a pack of baked goods boxes (to place home-made cookies/pastries inside before gifting to others). I hope next time to find more of what I need!

I love Phil's Stationary! It's not to far from my office and now and again, I like to stop in and…read morestroll the isles. There is so much cool stuff in here. Lots of it vintage and really interesting. Entering is even cool. The front door needs a good puuul and you're in heaven. The people who work here are really friendly and very knowledgable. Last week I bought some really nice printer paper that's really heavy and contains cotton. it's some special paper for sure and I'll be using it for special printed matter. Highly recommended shop. What a New York gem!

They have a wonderful, eclectic selection of pens and notebooks. I particularly liked their…read moreClairfontaine notebooks, and I went back again and again when I lived in NYC.

I paid $39 for the cutest DIY decoden phone case! The staff member was so sweet and patient with my…read morefriend and I. We had so much fun and we love our cases. The staff member helped us with the charm placements and cream designs! There was a large selection of charms to place on the case and it came out looking really cute! It is definitely on the more affordable side, which is great because these projects can be very expensive. Highly recommend!

Was just walking around the city at night and saw this row of little shops in Koreatown. I'm a…read moresucker for all things kawaii and saw the sign of DIY phone cases. You can create your own decoden (Japanese word) for a style of decorating whimsically cute things. You get to choose around 15 charms and pick the glue "cream" colors to be piped on. They piped the glue on for me and I picked the charms and they put them on for me (you can put them on yourself if you want). It was $35 to create the phone case. It's a nice reminder of a fun night. Look at the instagram. They are open daily from 12pm to 10:30pm, according to their Instagram @HiHiNewYork. They sell plushes, charms and more.

Always the latest trends from Japan. The staff is helpful and kind. I've purchased many music CDS…read morefrom them

Came by looking for the hello Kitty New York pins and this place had tons of stuff. Lots of other…read morehello kitty New York items as well. There's a downstairs as well. Lots of books of course (American and Japanese) but also other Knick knacks like stationary items. Things were a bit on the pricier side but assuming that is due to things being from Japan. Worth the price to us!

I found interfacing and chalk. I was very pleased at the choices of interfacing. I still need a…read moremachine threader and have no idea where to find it. We need stores like this as the garment center disappears.

M&J is one of those garment district institutions that's been around for nearly 90 years. They've…read morealways been one of the larger stores with a very broad assortment of sewing and design accessories--everything from hundreds of ribbons (may thousands), trims, decals, rhinestones, fabrics, supportive inner garment materials, buttons, hair/costume jewelry components, the list goes on. Agree with some other reviews in that it's one of the pricier stores though you pay for the wide variety--hard to beat their selection. The course of time hasn't been kind to local production. Back in the 1820s up until the early 1980s, when mass garment production stateside was booming in NYC, the garment district employed up to 46% of the city's industrial workforce. There was a need to design and purchase materials nearby, and the majority of Manhattan's midtown west side was dedicated to factories and design studios. Fast fwd to now, that statistic is much different and given the availability of online and global sources, not everyone needs to go into a physical store to purchase their needs. While many products have long moved to overseas sourcing, for anyone who's endeavored DIY arts and crafts, or even made any functional product by hand, it's much different seeing and feeling a material in person than on a screen. That's where in this past century, stores like M&J played a vital role in the fabric of the garment district. They are also a valuable resource to the numerous design students at FIT, Parsons, etc. During past decade many a longtime stalwart trim store have disappeared from the neighborhood and M&J is the latest casualty. If you are interested in sewing or design notions, now's your chance to pick up items at their going-out-of-business sale.

The best! The League…read morehas many art supplies in a compact space - very helpful staff too

Beautiful small art store with an awesome selection of items. Always a stop for us when we are in…read morethe city!

Very cute!! Wide collection and friendly staff. Like others have mentioned, you want to walk into…read morethe lobby, sign in with the desk, and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. They have both supplies, and you can also pick charms and spend some time and make your own jewelry.

If you aren't looking carefully you'll miss this place. It's actually on the second floor of a…read morebuilding that you have to enter and sign in with the front desk attendant. When we walked in to the store we were greeted by friendly staff that explained the process. We selected the size bracelets and went on our way to choosing our pieces. They have tons of variety to build your own bracelet masterpiece. The building of the bracelet was tricky although they do walk you thru it. Took us a bit of time to figure out how to do it. But they turned out so pretty and we love them!

My friends had set up a private class at Doclay for my bachelorette, which is honestly everything…read morethat I wished for. It was so fun getting to make our first potteries together, and the instructor, Iso was such a vibe; I loved her quirky uplifting spirit. She even made me a cute pottery to take home. She did her best to teach us the basics, but when there's a group of 9 people, I think it's just difficult to tend to everyone, so some people were struggling. I don't think anyone in my party left feeling satisfied with their work. It also sucked that a chunk of our booked time was allotted for cleaning up. It seems like that's the norm for pottery classes, but again, with that many of us, we wasted a lot of time just trying to take turns at the sink to clean up. Still, the experience was not bad at this point. We were excited to see the final results once they were glazed and colored. However, everything went downhill after we left the place. When I went there to pick up the potteries, everything was a mess. It was super difficult trying to find everyone's work admist a bunch of other potteries. With zero organization, it's no wonder they lost my sister's. So, they said they'll try to look for it and if they can't find it, they'll make her a new one. While it's nice that they rectified the situation by offering to make her a new one, that really defeats the purpose of taking the pottery class. Why not just go to the ceramics store instead? It would've been better if they offered to give her a free class to make a new one. At the end of it all, they couldn't find her work, so they made her a new one. But the process to receiving that new one took a while.

유익한 수업. 직원들이 친절하고 분위기가 좋음. 최고의 도자기랜드, 추천합니다…read more Great community with helpful staff. Would recommend.