I came here on the Saturday before Christmas around 2pm. It was very quiet, I assume because all…read morestudents and fashion houses are all on Christmas break. I originally was looking for sliders and G hooks for elastic belts. Also, I was looking for thin elastic cord. They were very helpful in trying to help me find the right elastic cord, but unfortunately they didn't have exactly what I was looking for. They have lots of spool trims like elastic, ribbon, lace, beaded, and other novelty trims. They've got a friendly store cat that is sociable and talkative. I've heard there are 2 cats but I only saw 1. The store was pretty quiet when I went, so the cat followed me around a lot. So if you go when they're not busy, you might have a friend accompanying you around the store asking for attention! :)

Massive place for trims and other types of fabrics. The staff here is helpful and there is a…read morefriendly cat usually near the back so it's hard for me to complain. They've been open for a long time for a good reason. I'd post more but I don't work in the industry so I have very rarely gone in here.

Love the friendly busy vibe of this place. It's not my…read morelocal so it's 2 subways away but I'd rather do that than shop at the unwelcoming east village yarn store that's full of hostile rules. The selection is extensive for a regular NY shop with many price points offered so I do sometimes end up buying the expensive Alpaca but also get a small acrylic for colorwork which means the finished item didn't cost a fortune.

The staff is unkind at best and more like rude and uncaring. There are plenty of yarn shops in…read moreManhattan and Brooklyn. Brooklyn General Store is really fun! The Knitty City website claims friendliness is part of their brand but they didn't tell the staff that!

A perfect experience every time I go in. The staff is always helpful and informative. The selection…read morechanges so even though it is a small store I always find something new.

Went in right when they opened and was met with a kind and helpful staff! I got a beautiful canvas…read moreand 2 needleminders. Cute little place with a great community! I will be back and highly recommend!

Went in for some Tulle and elastic for my birthday dress. They didn't have the tulle that I wanted…read morebut had lots of other fabrics for a decent price. They also had a bunch of elastic, different colors and widths. Ended up getting a good deal on some elastic

I was just looking for some yarn and thread to fix some of my clothing items. I was disappointed…read morewith Vardhman. They seem to have an okay stock of yarn, but they were out of black in the one I wanted. The guy working there wanted to be helpful, but he was not that versed in the English language. The attitude of the store on the whole was low energy. On the plus side, it's on a block with lots of other similar stores, so you can shop around.

I absolute love Michaels as it has everything you could need to craft and be creative. Their…read morecoupons aren't as good nowadays as they used to be and I don't have as much time as I used to have either but I still love coming here and browsing. The store layout here is a big congested and feel the checkout area and online order area could be better designed. I placed an order online for store pickup and it was ready in less than 10 minutes after I placed the order, which was quite impressive (I couldn't go until a few days later). The pickup area is located to your left as soon as you get off the escalators. There really wasn't a shelf to get your items and your bags situated after you pick up your item and the waiting area was quite small. No one was there when I went to pick up but a line of about 5 people behind me formed as I got my item making it a bit tricky to navigate to leave the area while also trying to stuff my item into my bags. The general checkout area was quite tight as well. It's long and it's sometimes hard to see if a self checkout counter is open. Self checkout itself is pretty easy to use and I like how the machine is able to detect if the handheld scanner was properly placed back in its slot before it moves forward with checking you out. I was able to find my account easily and apply all my coupons during my transaction. The staff I asked about inventory were quite knowledgeable and were able to point me to the right aisle to get the things I needed. things were well stocked and neatly displayed as well.

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'm very new to knitting, and I went to the store for some help with very basic questions. Sarah…read morewas great at explaining me how to fix my mistakes -- she was very helpful and didn't make me feel like my questions were dumb. Very grateful! The store's selection is great and it feels very welcoming. I'll be back next time I'm in town.

A must visit location if you enjoy needlepoint and/or yarn crafts. Staff is friendly and helpful…read moreanswering my questions about knitting needles and yarns. Visiting during the NYC Yarn Crawl was fabulous!

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.

This place has been going out of business for a while, but I'm grateful it's still open. Good place…read morefor velvet ribbons and other notions.

I took one lesson and she was helpful, but then i went back to have another yarn rolled and she…read morewould not do it becasue i did not buy the yarn there even though i had a lesson there etc. Not very friendly and i will never go bac,

Until today, I would have agreed with the negative reviews. But since I live on the block and…read moreneeded some yarn right away, I decided to try again. And the owner couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. I told her what I needed and showed her my pattern. She took a lot of time (even though it was close to closing time) showing me various yarns that would work. And she was just lovely!

Sigh I have a problem with this place, but I don't think my issues are unique. They are very very…read morestrict with returns and no nonsense about the Patrons shopping inside. It makes sense given the delicate nature of the products but it borderline OCD (IMO). And the prices are a little high but it is nyc. Glad to have this resource when in desperate need for quality yarn.

Visiting family in NYC, and always looking for great shopping spots to bring home the best goods…read more Had found this little gem on instagram through and influencer and was excited to check it out. They had a nice selection of cotton yarns, which at the moment is my jam. Though the wools and alpacas choices are huge! I was greeted at the door, with a hand sanitizer first (clean hands for the yarn). The gal showed me all the cotton based yarns and a few blends to make my search a bit easier, being my first time in. Also at one point I needed another roll and it was a bit high on the shelf, they were able to climb a ladder and check to see if there was more...yes! Good quality does come at a price, but personally it's nicer and many times softer than what you could get at a chain retailer. So shop small and local! Can't wait for my next trip back in a few months, easy to find on Avenue A.

I've got to second everyone's positive comments. i found a huge selection of lovely, reasonably…read morepriced fabric and just amazing customer service. what a great find!

There are ao many options available at Metro. Kashi is always wonderful to work with! If you are…read morelucky enough to shop in the store, that $4 wall has some incredible deals!