Each season brings fabric wholesale shows to New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas… Admission to these shows is free and you can sign up online by giving your resale number. Usually they also offer half-day seminars at minimal rates: classes on Pantone colors for the upcoming season, how to deal with import fees for large orders, etc.

These shows can be daunting for the small business owner. I used to attend a show at the Javits Center in New York. There were dozens of rows of hundreds of vendors, many kilowatts of electricity, and thousands of buyers carrying attaché cases and wearing black. Most of the vendors were manufacturers or reps from factories offshore who could meet any or all design requirements if you ordered just ten thousand yards of a color. Yes, Exotic Silks would be there with their 17-yard or $100 minimum, but unless you knew a vendor, the only way to find out if they were appropriate for you was to ask. Asking meant politely waiting your turn, only to have your small needs greeted with contempt, a waste of your time and the vendors’. I found a few prized vendors who would sell 10 yards of an item, perfect for bridal work, but overall it was an unpleasant experience. I stopped going and for years relied on the vendors I had already found.

Then I saw an announcement for a new kind of show, DG Expo, which catered to small designers. Kitty Daly and I attended their show in February in New York. There were about 85 vendors with “low minimums and flexible ordering options, plus in-stock items and services.” This was our kind of show. Some vendors required a minimum of 1 bolt, most commonly 15, 25, or 50 yards. Some required 10 yards and some had no minimum at all. There were specialists in silks, wools, knits, Lycra, lace, and outdoor fabrics. There were button makers and button importers, embroidery specialists, and print-on-demand companies. I had the opportunity to talk in person to some vendors I’d met through internet orders – Test fabrics (chemical-free fabrics for dyeing), Wimpfheimer (velvets and corduroys), Renaissance Ribbons (trims), Batik Butik (Balinese rayon batik fabrics), Philips Boyne Corp (shirting) and Buttonology (imported high end buttons and made to order covered buttons). Alan from Stylecrest had his whole line there and it was good to re-connect with him, as I bought from him at his parents’ store, Art-Max, forty years ago. There were also vendors I was not aware of previously. A Lycra rep required 50 yards of a color, but said she’d be willing to drop ship to multiple designers if our order totaled the 50 yards.

There were vendors from Montreal, British Columbia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Missouri. We think we found Michael’s Fabrics’ source for wool boucle. All vendors were happy to talk. We are their bread and butter.

Kitty and I were on the fifth level towards nirvana. Some ideas to consider: Do we want to try to do some group buys? Do we want ASDP to have a booth at the next DG Expo? There were a few industry organizations with tables in the foyer and I’m looking into what costs would be involved if ASDP decides to have a presence.

Written by Rachel Kurland