NYC

[cbernard92]

Hello All,

I'm heading to NYC in a few days, do you think the furriers will have lots of furs in March? I'm planning on visiting Dimitrios, Kaufman, USA Furs by George, and a couple others I've been referenced to. Any other spots I should visit? (I'm shopping in the mens department)

 

cbernard

[AKcoyote]

This should be a slow season for them, so you may find some good deals on the garments in their showrooms.

[Guest]

Try Juliana - www.julianafurs.com - Juliana is a very nice lady who is welcoming to men looking for furs - the men's iris mink stroller that I bought from her four years ago remains one of my favourite furs

[FurLoverinFL]

And don't forget the Ritz Thrift Shop for pre-owned furs. http://ritzthriftshop.com/index.html

 

FLinFL

 

...and if you can take NJ Transit out to Flemington, a visit to Flemington Furs is always in order!

[White Fox]

Chernard, you could also go to our links area, and just look down the chart looking for NY, US. There you will see any sites in NY state. Then, just look at the rating and you will see the ones with good web sites. No guarantees, but often the folks with good stores to visit care enough to have a good web site too.

 

W

[Worker 11811]

Here's the news from my recent trip to NYC.

 

http://thefurden.com/bbden/viewtopic.php?t=9117

 

There are several nice retail shops at street level in the Fur District but the BEST furriers are in one of the "Furrier Buildings". Basically, they are nondescript office buildings where several furriers have set up shop.

 

I got my wife's fur coat from Michael Hennessey - 345 7th Ave At 29 St - New York, NY 10001

 

He and most of the other tenants of that building are wholesalers but, if you go in with a good attitude and ask them nicely, they will sell direct to the consumer.

 

The best thing I can tell you is to go down seventh avenue (AKA: "Fashion Avenue") to about 29th St. in the neighborhood of Fashion Institute of Technology. Hunt around and don't be afraid to ask questions and window shop.

 

99% of the furriers in NYC have secured their front doors. You can't just walk in. You will have to ring the bell and wait till they buzz you in. This is common with businesses who sell high value merchandise. You'll see the same thing in jewelery stores, antique shops and places like that. It's not a big deal, really. They're just trying to keep out the Riff-Raff. But, if you've never been to a place like that, it can throw you off the first couple of times.

 

Have fun and be sure to give us a Fur Report when you get back!

[ReFur]

I highly recommend the 345 building. Most are samples, but have unique items that are the latest in garments.

 

I have several furriers I have done business with there. Berkowitz on top floor are wonderful people, and Sekas International is a great guy, too.

 

Linda

[cbernard92]

Okay so with this whole gated entry, buzz you in stuff, I'm thinking that might actually prevent me from going in! I'm obviously not at the financial status of somebody who walks in and buys something from these stores. But I know my furs and I know what I like, and I'm actually hopeful of using fur in my fashion design stuff. So seeing as I wont be buying from the stores will they let me in?

[White Fox]

Here it is. How do they know you won't be buying.

 

If they only let people in who would have to buy before they left.

Their customer base would be "Zero"!

 

W

[JGalanos]

So seeing as I wont be buying from the stores will they let me in?

 

Yes, I think they will let you in. But in my opinion you should "dress the part" to ensure that both you and the sales personnel are comfortable during your visit. Nothing special -- Khakis or nice jeans, nice shirt, and leather (non-athletic) shoes should be fine. (Basing this upon my numerous visits with furriers across North America.)

[cbernard92]

well on the shoes front I have mostly athletic nikes

BUT

they are limited edition sneaker head nikes that cost like 150+ each

sooooooo

 

I think I'll be good

[Worker 11811]

Okay so with this whole gated entry, buzz you in stuff, I'm thinking that might actually prevent me from going in!

 

Just the opposite. Because a store owner takes the time to think about security it makes me feel more comfortable to go in.

 

This is a business that can have more than a million dollars worth of merchandise within its walls. Any business man with half a brain would spend a few thousand dollars on security.

 

And, a business man who is thinking about security is also thinking about the safety of his customers. When I said that security was to keep out the Riff-Raff, I wasn't talking about people who don't buy. I was talking about thieves and homeless people and, possibly even the odd anti-fur idiot who might come along to stir things up. After all, we ARE talking about New York City here!

 

When you go into a furrier's store you need to feel like you can shop in comfort, safety and privacy. Securing the door is a good way to do that.

 

Every single store I went into had nice employees who were willing to talk and answer almost any question you could ask. Not a single one of them so much as looked down their nose at me.

 

You should not feel afraid to ring the doorbell on any fur store in the Fur District. I mentioned this fact to you because I didn't want you to feel afraid when you encountered your first locked door.

 

You should also remember that this is standard practice in many businesses who sell high-value merchandise. Jewelery stores and antique shops also use security procedures like this. It's very common.

 

To be very honest, I would be hesitant to go into a fur shop that didn't have a security door!

[cbernard92]

thanks a lot for all the help!

[Worker 11811]

Here's a list of furriers I went to when I was in NYC, this past January:

 

Fur Fashions Center (AKA: Fur Fashion Warehouse)

208 W 29 St.

(212) 736-7790

www.FurFashionCenter.com

 

The Fur Palace

by Lambadarios Bros. (Kosta & Andy)

209 W 29 St.

(212) 563-6106

 

 

Sharnelle Furs, Ltd.

Marcello Czarniak

151 W 28 St.

(212) 564-2855

www.furwear.com

 

Fur Depot

235 W 29 St.

(212) 947-3119

www.furdepot.com

 

Corniche Furs, Inc.

Charles Nelli - Asst. to President

345 7 Ave. (AKA: "The Fur Building" )

(212) 239-8655

 

G. Michael Hennessy

Tatiana - Showroom Directrice

345 7 Ave. - 5th Floor (AKA: "The Fur Building" )

(212) 695-1065

 

The Fur Vault at Macy's

Macy's Dept. Store - 8th Floor.

Lisa Scorsolini - Sales

151 W 34th St.

(212) 494-1227

 

Saks Fifth Ave.

Sorry. Don't have a card from this store but anybody can find Saks Fifth Ave in NYC!

 

Here's my advice:

 

Go to Saks, Macy's and Neiman Marcus (AKA: "Needless Markup") first but only go there for "tourist value" but DON'T BUY. These are all department stores and you can just walk right in. No buzz-ins. Here's where you'll get used to shopping for furs and get your hands on some real furs and find out what it's all about. Any good tourist in NYC will probably go to these stores anyway. Right? So, why not use them as a training ground of sorts so you won't look like a total rube when you go to the Fur District and shop for real.

 

Fur salons in department stores are usually what you call a "Leased Department." That means that another company rents space inside the store to sell their wares under the store's name. So, even though the tag says "Macy's" it's not an exclusively "Macy" fur. That same company is leasing space at Saks and several other stores too. Notice that 90% of the coats on the racks at these stores all look alike.

 

Then... when you have looked at a few furs in the retail shops, take a trip to the District and look at the other furs. The wholesalers in the District are probably the ones who made the furs you saw in Macy's. Why buy from a retail shop and pay their markup when you can buy direct from the guy who made it and pay a lot less?

 

That guy I mentioned, Michael Hennesy... He's the guy I bought my wife's fur from. Very nice guy. Nice to talk to. He's been in the business since before dirt.

 

He also told me that he was the US supplier for Yves St. Laurent's line of furs. Remember. A clothing designer doesn't make his own clothes. He only makes the designs. Then he goes out and looks for another guy who can make the clothes to his specifications.

 

There were a couple of these guys who told me, flat out, that they will custom design almost any kind of fur coat you want!

 

Go back and read my fur report from my trip. Did you read where I mentioned the guy with the box full of lynx pelts? That was the Fur Palace at 209 W 29th. He's the guy who said to me, "You like cat? I make you cat coat!"

 

So, when you go to the retail shops, uptown, then go to the District, you'll be able to get a better understanding about the way the fur business works and that will help you find a good fur at a price you want to pay.

[ReFur]

White Fox had mentioned this would make a great topic for the Wiki area. We could list places to visit by city. This has been a reoccurring topic on the site.

 

Is there anyone out there who would like to work on this? It is a small project that could make a nice contribution.

 

Linda

 

Edit by Worker 11811:

If there is somebody who thinks they might like to write an article about fur shopping in NYC but they don't think they have what it takes to "program" the wiki, Don't worry. It's really very easy!

 

If you can type a message into these forums, you can write a message in the wiki/library.

 

If you STILL have reservations you can write your article up in whatever editor or word processor you have (Word, AppleWorks, Open Office, etc.) and I'll help you put your page into the system.

 

Just send me a note. I'll do whatever I can to help.

[Worker 11811]

Oh! BTW! cbernard92;

 

I forgot to mention...

 

If you don't have a lot of money to spend on furs but you don't want to look like a knudge, don't forget that most furriers sell hats and scarves and all sorts of fur accessories.

 

We bought a really nice fur scarf from The Fur Palace for less than $100.00. I think it came out to $89.00 including tax. That same scarf would have cost $200.00 in a retail outlet like Macy's.

 

You can get yourself something furry to take home with you from your trip to NYC but you don't have to bust your wallet to do it.

 

If you look around, you can even find a fur Teddy Bear!

[JGalanos]

CB -- Don't forget to share details re: your NYC trip. Inquiring minds want to know.

[cbernard92]

I returned home safely today, so here is my summary of my NYC Trip

 

I only had time to visit two of the furriers recommended to me, Dimitrios, and USA furs by George, because some of them looked closed for the day, and I was very busy during my two night stay. USA furs was nice, I tried on Fox and Coyote jackets/strollers, the salesmen were nice, but the furs were amazing!

Dimitrios was my favorite of the two places, the two men who worked there, a tall white man who owned the place (what was his name? IDK!!!) and a very nice African American man (I forgot his name too, but he has an orange fox jacket!! (neon orange) if anybody knows who that is) They talked to me more than the people at USA furs and they said I look good in long-haired furs because I'm tall and skinny

 

I tried on black fox, indigo fox, grey fox, coyote, and mink jackets!

 

Unfortunately my camera lost its charge so I couldn't take any photos, but I hope you guys can use your imagination to picture what a great time I had!

 

I also spotted too many furs to count! But I did count the mens and that totaled up to 2 furs and 8 including shearling leather jackets.

 

 

cbernard92

[JGalanos]

Sounds like you had a good visit. I tried on a terrific floor length Blackglama mink at Dimitrios a couple of seasons ago. They had a nice selection of men's garments.

 

I saw several nice shearlings on the streets while I was in New York -- Including a fantastic men's 3/4 hooded shearling jacket (I regret that I did not ask him where he got it ... Hindsight is always 20/20!).

[furrycocoon]

I have not had the pleasure to go to NY specifically for fur shopping.But in London,the furriers were very accomadating.Especially Gale Furs Of London.The gentleman who owns it is VERY accomadating to male fur lovers leaving you alone downstairs in his fur vault to try on furs.I was downstairs once for about an hour and was not disturbed at all.That particular day,I did not find anything that really blew me away,so left with nothing.He didn't appear to mind and invited me back again soon.

[JGalanos]

Furrycoccoon,

 

If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend New York fur shopping. I have been fur shopping in over a dozen cities (including New York, Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto) and in my experience New York by far has had the best selection and prices.