Furnish Green’s Five Favorite Fabric Stores

For upholstered furniture, the choice of fabric totally makes or breaks a piece. Sometimes a boring, dull chair can be reborn with just a newly upholstered cushion. In other cases, you might see a piece that’s almost perfect, but the fabric just isn’t for you. These things happen a lot at Furnish Green. Did you know we offer, by request, custom reupholstery on select items? Maybe we have a chair you love but the upholstery is just a little too shabby for your taste. We can fix that for you!

But you may be thinking, where can I find that perfect fabric? There are some primo spots in the city, some more well-known than others. These are our five favorites:

Mood Fabrics 225 W 37th St 3rd Floor – At this point, you probably know Mood. Thanks to Project Runway, it’s probably the most famous fabric store in the city. But it’s also a great spot for top quality fabrics at very fair prices. And most of its visitors don’t realize something about this store: The lower level is all upholstery and interior fabrics and leathers. A great selection of materials to make re-invent your favorite furniture.

Trumart Discount Fabrics 261 7th Ave (corner of 25th St) – Trumart is a Chelsea hidden treasure for fabric shoppers. This tiny, family-run shop is stuffed to the brim with all sorts of fabric at rock-bottom prices. This store has an extremely wide range of different styles and qualities, so you’ll have to really search to find what you’re looking for. But with a little persistence, you might discover just the right fabric, and end up saving a ton of money. The staff here are friendly and willing to help.

New York Elegant Fabrics 222 West 40th Street – New York Elegant Fabrics is across from the famous Parsons School of Design. It’s a huge store with a large range of fabrics. The upper level has a great selection of really unusual vinyls, nylons, faux leathers and furs. This store has some really eye-catching heavy weight materials that are perfect for upholstery. And it’s rarely busy or crowded, so it’s great to just wander and get a feel for what they offer.

Zarin Fabrics 72 Allen Street, 2nd Floor – Zarin Fabrics is quite well-known for having high-end quality fabrics. The majority of their selection is heavier fabrics for interior use. They also sell foam and inserts if your cushions are starting to sag. A great place if your looking for luxury and designer looks.

Global Leather 253 W 35th St #9 Leather is expensive, but it’s a worthy investment, especially for furniture. And if you’re prepared to shell put big bucks for leather, this is the place to go. They have literally every skin you can imagine: cow and calf, zebra, alligator, stingray, python, you name it! They have all weights, from light garment leather to heavy upholstery leather. And they have more finishes, colors and styles than you can imagine, so set aside a lot of time to browse their selection.

Garment District 34th St to 42nd St between 5th Ave and 9th Ave I know, I know, this post said “Five Favorite Fabric Stores,” but this sixth option isn’t a store. It’s not really fair to narrow New York City’s fabric selection to a mere five stores, so why not take a stroll through the garment district? This midtown Manhattan neighborhood has tons of tiny little fabric shops tucked in every nook and corner. Most of these shops are between 7th and 8th ave from 35th St to 40th St, though the official district is much larger. Take an afternoon to wander these streets and you can come across some great fabric finds at really low prices.

There are also some great upholstery fabric stores throughout the Lower East Side and Chinatown. To be honest, there are probably more great fabric stores in this city than we can even name, so we’ll just stick with the above mentioned. Otherwise, you’re on your own.

We have a number of items that could be reworked to fit your own style, with your choice of fabric. Here are just a few:

Mid Century Danish Modern Lounge Chair