Company Focus: Tinsel Trading Co., NYC, NY

[labricoleuse]

Tinsel Trading Company is one of the jewels in the Garment District's crown. I gather that the world at large knows them thanks to the enthusiastic patronage of Martha Stewart; costumers know them for their stellar reputation and history of dealing in rare, vintage, antique, and no-longer-produced trimmings, including metal-thread trims for military braid. They do solicit mail-orders off their website for many of their items, but of course some of the rare and limited-quantity stuff can only be found browsing the store.

Tinsel has been having a month-long moving sale, as they are relocating to a new facility at 1 West 37th Street; this week is the last week before they close to move, and the deals in there are unspeakably great.




enormous decor tassels, normally $50+ apiece, on sale for $5 each
(i got four of each color)


vintage silk Russian net for millinery veiling ($5 per card)
and orange vintage feather garniture ($12)
[i also got a black and a brown as well as these two blues]


left to right: vintage rayon pompons (10 for $1), antique 8" long gold bullion fringe ($40 for entire card of around 8 yards), antique copper-thread ribbon ($10 for entire spool)


unrelated photo: crazy fresh flowers from the Floral District

Okay, so i usually try to maintain a professional demeanor in these posts, but CAN YOU EVEN DEAL WITH THIS STUFF AND THESE PRICES?? BECAUSE I MOST CERTAINLY CANNOT. Honestly, that much gold bullion for that cheap? Don't even get me started on the spools of antique millinery grosgrains (not pictured) that i got for $3 each, or the 50 yards of navy silk 4" wide grosgrain for $15 (also not pictured). I also bought a lot of non-sale stuff--a green felt hood for hat blocking, some vintage silk flowers and metal gewgaws and such, some tiny shell beads. Basically, if you are in the NY area and can get there before the move, Tinsel's sale is a must-shop occasion.

Comments

[sola.livejournal.com]

Oh, my god. I wish i could take a day off. Though if they have paper, maybe it's for the best that i can't.


Totally random, but did you see much in the way if very tiny trims, as in less than 1/4th"?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Honestly, i did not look too hard at the trims, but they have a whole room about the size of a dive bar FULL of them, and i imagine they have miniature ones in their scrapbook annex.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Oh gods, I wish I could be there.

[jul1et.livejournal.com]

*drools*

[icprncs.livejournal.com]

You are ramping my envy up to unbearable levels. Those are *insane* deals. It would be silly to go to New York *just* to buy trim, but you certainly make it sound tempting.

(The flowers, BTW, are birds of paradise.)

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Regarding the flowers, yes, they're birds of paradise; we had them all over the place in my neighborhood in Los Angeles. These were particularly large (at least, compared to the ones i'm used to seeing), with the "beak" sections being over a foot in length.

[icprncs.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I had no idea people grew them in LA. (Of course, people in LA grow lots of things that don't really belong there...) I got introduced to them when my mother was living in Hawaii. They do usually get cut for shipping when the "beaks" are fairly small, so yeah, those are big buggers! (Apologies if you thought I was being an obnoxious smartypants--a lot of people aren't familiar with those flowers.)

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

They're grown semi-frequently in California. I've seen them in most NorCal neighborhoods I've lived in; must like the climate :-)

[wowbunnies.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, they actually look more like they're from the Heliconia genus (otherwise known as fake bird of paradise). I'm not familiar with the species, though. A true bird of paradise would have the beaks pointing upwards with other petals projecting from them...

Sorry, biology nerd talking ;)

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

No apologies, it's interesting to know more about such things! I was wondering whether they were a different species (since yeah, i'm used to the BOP being more open and, well, birdlike), but thought perhaps they were just furled buds, since flowers are often cut with the blossoms closed or just opening? Fascinating stuff!

[wowbunnies.livejournal.com]

Yes, I recognized them as part of that genus because they look very similar to the Heliconia rostrata I photographed in the Dominican Republic. Gorgeous plants they are...

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

Sweet bleeding jayzus!! These last 2 posts tell me that the NYC garment district blows the LA garment district out of the water.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Having shopped both extensively, i'd say that yes, the NYC Garment District is far superior to LA's. It's larger by far, much more diverse in its offerings, and a lot more unusual vintage weird things to be found; which, it's not that you can't find those things in LA, just not so much in the Garment District, IME.

[sarcasm-hime.livejournal.com]

ARGH I want to be in NYC ;________;

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

The cheapness of the gold bullion is KILLING ME. And I really love that orange feather.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Wait til i get it on the hat it's going on and post pix. It's going to be FANTASTICO. I am mentally referring to this hat in my mind as "the Swingtown fedora," because it looks like something that a 70s swinger with a cheesy 'stache would sport. (Not "wear," definitely "sport.") Straw, ventilated crown, orange and green and burgundy striped hatband...lovely.