Philadelphia Guide for Sewers

A lot of students who attend Bra Making with Madalynne workshops travel from out of town and make a weekend of it. The city of Brotherly Love, there is so much to do and, so I put together a list of my top spots for accommodations, fabric shopping, eating and other adventures in the city of Brotherly Love.

FABRICs + NOTIONS

Maxie’s Daughter
724 South 4^th Street
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~plavchan/maxiesdaughter/
A family run business, Maxie’s Daughter used to be located in Philly’s Italian Market and was originally named Max Wilk Fabrics. Now run by Eric Trobman and his family, it was his grandfather, Max who immigrated from Russia and started the shop by renting a pushcart and folding scrap fabric neatly to get people to buy. When Wilk passed away in the early 1990s, his daughter, Beverly Trobman, took over. Three years later, she relocated to Fabric Row and renamed the store. The store is in the same location, which you can’t miss because of the giant mural on the side of the building.

The right half of the store is dedicated to upholstery and drapery fabrics while the left side is dedicated to fashion fabric. Be prepared to hear family-style bickering between the staff. They are family after all! “Irving, can you help this young lady?”, “Irving, will you put this back?”, “Irving…. Irving… Irving…” It will only take a couple minutes to realize that one, Irving does a lot around, and two, the women clearly wear the pants in the relationship.

The aisles are a tight squeeze, but you can bargain to get a fair price. Their selection is broad – silk, wool, cotton, spandex – but not very deep. They have the basics in every category.

Jack B Fabrics
748 South 4^th Street
http://www.jackbfabrics.com/index.html
Another family-run operation, Jack B has been open for more than 35 years. Three generations later, they carry home décor and fashion fabric. Their home décor selection is larger than their fashion fabric selection, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something for garment sewers. For brides, there are lots of laces, and for lingerie makers, there are a host spandex, power net, and jersey. I bought the matte jersey for my thongs here. I have found that their prices are slightly higher than other stores on the street, but not enough to keep me from buying. They are also one of the few stores on Fabric Row that has an online shop and they are definitely the cleanest/most organized.

Fleishman Fabrics
749 South 4^th Street
http://fleishmanfabrics.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fleishman-Fabrics-Supplies-Where-creation-becomes-fashion/236262163097552
Fleishman’s is by far my favorite store on Fabric Row. If they don’t have it, they will get it for you. When I was sourcing supplies for my bra workshop, I called Trish to see if she had underwires. At the time, she didn’t, but was willing to get them for me. While they have a good selection of fabric and trimming – I bought the lace for my Malborough and the lining for Portia Blue here – their widest selection is sewing supplies. Interfacing, glue, zippers, elastic, hooks and eyes, seam rippers and more. Drexel University and Philadelphia University are two local colleges that have great fashion programs and most students come here for their supplies. This is also my go to for power net. Also, it is also open on Sunday.

Mention Madalynne and receive 10% off

Fabrics on Fourth
801 South 4^th Street
At the end of Fabric Row, Fabrics on Fourth has a cool, retro vibe. I don’t shop here often because it’s mostly costume fabrics with bright colors, sequins and rhinestones. If that is the type of garments you sew, I highly recommend checking it out. It is also open on Sunday. 

Jomar
2590 Grant Avenue
http://www.jomarstores.com/
Jomar is not located on Fabric Row, but it is the cheapest place to buy fabric in the city. It’s open until 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and until 6:00 PM on Sunday. It’s also not located in the best neighborhood, so I don’t suggest going at night. This is not your average fabric store. A mix between a flea market and a warehouse, it sells discounted clothing, appliances, home goods on the first floor (think Marshalls or Ross) and fabric on the second floor. There is always a lot of fabric, but I never know what kind of selection they’re going to have. Sometimes I leave with nothing and sometimes I leave with 20+ yards. They have unique fabrics – I bought the fabric for Indigo Miller and my Japanese dress here. They sell trimming and few supplies, but no thread. If you’re a newbie sewer and don’t want to spend a lot of money or you want to make a project on the cheap, go to Jomar!

VINTAGE

Jinxed
611 South 4^th Street
http://jinxedphiladelphia.com/
Excuse me, but I’m going to be slightly vulgar while I tell you my first experience at Jinxed. I was with a girl friend when I spotted a vintage suitcase on the floor. When I opened it to inspect the condition, I quickly realized it wasn’t a suitcase, but a vibrator! I guess women back in the day would open, sit on it and… you know.

Jinxed has five locations throughout the city, one of them being on Fabric Row. A trifecta of incredible prices, unique furniture and home goods, and the coolest staff, Jinxed is where I purchased most of my items for Madalynne Studios. Their brick and mortar shops have a large stock, but check out their instagram to get first dibs on new items @jinxedstore. Whether you’re in their store or on IG, don’t wait to buy. It will be gone by the time you come back. They don’t haggle with prices because they don’t need to. This is the most affordable place in town. They don’t offer shipping, so if you’re from out of town, only purchase items that you can bring back with you.

Two Percent to Glory

Vestige

Philly Aids Thrift
710 South 5^th Street
http://phillyaidsthrift.com/
One street over from Fabric Row, Philly Aids Thrift sells everything and anything used. I come here mostly to buy used jeans, but always spend at least an hour browsing the shop. There is an entire room of clothing for $1 and free condoms in the back. The décor is also hilarious.

EAT

Royal Isakaya

Hungry Pigeon

Mission

Charlie was a Sinner

Harp & Crown

Old bar

Hop sing

Soice C

Sweets

cakelife

Weckerlys

Places to Check Out

cherry street pier,

fabric workshop,

reading terminal,

eastern state penitentiary

the barnes,

house,

urban axes

good beer –

monks,

yards,

love city,

st bens,

evil genius,

 

Have you ever been to Fabric Row? What were your favorite places?

Last thing – if you’re headed to Philadelphia, email me! I’m always up for a shopping trip. Even if you live in the area and want a shopping buddy, I’ll go with you!