From A Closet, To A Colossus

The Little Shop That Could…Did!

(You won't stumble into this place. All pics enlarge)

A little over a year ago, I literally stumbled into Vardhman Inc., a craft, trim, and yarn business on 39th street. The size of a closet, its ceiling height gave the place the appearance of being housed in an elevator shaft. I was so intrigued by this jam packed jewel of a shop, I gave them a shout.

This past week, on my way to Steinlauf & Stoller during lunch hour to buy a zipper, I stumbled upon––rather into––the new Vardhman Inc., now a few doors down from its old location, occupying a  space about 10 times larger and boasting a mezzanine, no less. What happened?

  (Observation deck; the view from the mezznine.)

"We were fortunate," says Baljeet Arora, one of the owners. "We have now been here six months. It's a bit slow, due to the season, but it will pick up." Indeed it should. I took in the spacious breath-ability of the new digs, and it felt good to exhale. Yes, they've traded the jewel box feel of the former store, for what some may find, as a more sterile environment. But its size is used to good effect; you'll no longer feel as if you're gonna start an avalanche every time your bag swings around.

The place is bathed in an energy-saving cool tint, while contributing to the sterile look––is still better than the eye-strain dinginess of Daytona Braids & Trimming, up the block. You can now actually see what they have to offer, which lead my gaze hungrily to the mezzanine. I became stoked, curious to check out the expansion of what were formerly just a wall of shelves––or maybe it was my yarn addiction kickin' in, at the speculation of what I could possess.

Guess which, won out?

Yarn Attack!

(Heaven within reach, at the top of the stairs.)

You walk to the back of the store past the sewing notions, up the stairs. To peruse the new offerings, I was escorted by the handsome young sales associate, in a continuation of the impeccable service Vardhman is known for––now with an eye for foiling the five finger discount; I guess growth has its price.

Universal Appeal

Boredom with the current monopoly of brands sold in yarn shops in this city, had pushed me to purchase online. Well people, it was refreshing to see a new monopoly––Universal Yarns. Vardhman's house brand dominates the floor, but serves up a variety of captivating yarns to choose from. Filling the gaps, are a few smaller, but equally interesting brands.The comfortable standby's––Ironstone, Aunt Lydia, and Red Heart are still there, however the owners have definitely upgraded. Prices are comparable to Knit-A-Way in Brooklyn, without the high-end domination. Check this out! (Click to enlarge).

The thrifty-chic crowd should not despair; there's a small, but nice selection of coned yarn, and Caron––my fave in the acrylic category––is in the building, sold in their famous one pound skeins. The  accessories section has more wall space, and racks are chock full of still slightly dated, but cool knitting leaflets. In fact, the only thing that hasn't expanded or carried over is assistance, so I'll say it again. Vardhman is for thrill seekers. If you need knitting or crochet help or reassurance, bring a more experienced friend––but not me! I caved to my addiction, denting my budget a bit. Well, a lot. Hey, the new yarns are exciting and besides, I only bought balls to swatch and put up in the library––so it was actually for y'all's benefit. For real.

Everything Else

The larger store, has especially given embellishment fetishists more to pile on. Vardhman's button collection, while not glamorous, is still known for its artistic bone and wood. And there's even more trimming, bag handles, notions and stuff, to choose from. A standout: the Hemline Hands Free Magnifier and Light. It's the original neck magnifier, with a light added. And $20US, is the most economical price I've seen.
I eventually made it down the street to purchase my zipper, buoyed to think that even with the current size of the Garment District shrinking as rapidly as the sizes of the models on the runways here during Fashion Week––a healthy morsel of expansion even by one business, will stave off creativity from starvation, a while longer. Now let's all go crowd their new space!

Vardhman Inc. 269 West 39th Street, NYC; 1-212-840-6950 (website coming soon). Open Monday thru Friday, from 10am to 7pm; Saturdays, from 11am to 6:30 pm. All major credit cards accepted.

Comments

[scheherazaad]

Thanks for the tour. I will definitely visit the shop the next time I'm in NYC.

[Bananaoil]

Thanks so much for this review. A store mashing up my two favorite fiber pursuits! Heaven indeed!

[Schrodinger]

I'm so, so happy you posted this. I was trying to find the new shop this week (but lost the card she'd given me with the new address). When they told me it would be bigger, I don't think I was quite expecting such size, particularly in comparison to the closet!!

[Stacey_CrimsonPurl]

WOW!! What a 180 for the good!

I don't think I would have ever seen a yarn store with neon lights! LOL Only in NY!! ;op

The new digs are really nice!

I know what you mean about starting a yarn avalanche! I feel like I do that sometimes! Haha!

[Chris]

That was very noble purchasing of you! ;)