Shopping in the Big Apple!

A couple of weeks ago, I was in NYC with my son for a few days.  We share a birthday, so it's the perfect excuse to do something BIG to celebrate together. (Thank goodness that, now that he is 22, we've outgrown the Chuck E. Cheese birthday parties!)  

Liz and I were exhibiting at the QuiltFest of NJ that same weekend...so it was pretty darn easy to talk Ben into heading over to the east coast for a quilt show, with the enticement of spending a couple of days in the big city.

We spent MOST of the time seeing the sights. Walking. Walking. And more walking.

And while we were walking through the fabric district...I made Ben go into M&J Trims, just to see the huge array of buttons, trims, ribbons, etc, etc, etc...floor to ceiling!

He was very, very impressed.  As you can see.

He also went with me to visit Henry Glass Fabrics, to talk about our latest fabric designs.

Every other 22 year old guy would be very envious, I am sure.

I must admit, even though we were in the city, and strolling down Fifth Avenue with it's amazing array of shops...I am just not a huge shopper.  So Ben lucked out.  We went into Bloomies just to use the bathrooms.  Up the elevators, down the elevators.  Hit the very cool Apple store.  (No complaining from the boy there!)  And the only bags I ended up toting around were from the Lindt store and from Dylan's Candy Bar.  I know.  I am sick.

But on our last morning there, we were in the SoHo neighborhood, just wandering around.  As we passed by THIS window, though.... I stopped in my tracks!

A whole storefront window of...vintage sewing machines?  I just had to go inside!

I couldn't even begin to count how many machines there were, just lining the walls of this very cool store.  (I think I must have been dreaming of taking home a few for my studio...)

Turns out this store is a clothing store called AllSaints.  I know they must have had clothing in there, but I was looking at all the cool vintage machines, and other industrial sewing stuff that they were using for their displays!

And look at these old spools...!

And... I just loved how they used these antique shoe cobbler molds for the shoe display.

I just love window displays.  The Anthropologie store always inspires me with their creativity. I wish I would have taken some pics of their windows...it was all dressmaking supplies and sewing stuff.  (I see a theme here!)

Now THAT's fun shopping!  And cheap, too.

And, did you know?  Hot dogs and roasted nuts are not the ONLY things you can buy on the street corners of NYC....

Yep, cupcakes too!  

And yes.  We bought some.  And they were NOT cheap.

But it was our birthday trip, so we splurged!