Tenant Profile
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Address:
133 W. 25th Street 133 West 25th Street
New york, NY 10001 -
CATEGORY:
Fine Art
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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
The City Quilter was selected for the third year by Zagat's 2008 New York Shopping Guide as the best "fabric/notions" store in the "quality" category in New York City. The 2,500 square foot shop has more than 3,000 bolts of 100% cotton fabric and a wide selection of hand-dyed cotton fabric with the “urban quilter” in mind: sophisticated, contemporary and exotic. In addition to quilters, the shop’s offerings are oriented to the needs of interior designers and fashion designers, as well as home sewers. The City Quilter has a wide range of sewing notions, a diverse selection of thread, patterns and books, gift items for sewers, as well as embellishments (e.g.-beads, silk ribbon, metallic thread, floss, perle cotton) for doll enthusiasts and crazy quilters. And to satisfy the popular interest in felted wool appliqué, the shop carries wool felt, felted wool, and hand-dyed wool. We also offer more than 125 different classes each year. Identified as the "Best in New York" by New York Magazine, these classes encompass quilting, sewing, appligue, embroidery, bag-making, dyeing, etc.
Open on April 6, 2011, The ArtQuilt Gallery•NYC is the only gallery in New York devoted to quilts. The ArtQuilt Gallery•NYC will showcase the best quilts from around the world, and will demonstrate our belief that quilts are a compelling art form. We have faith that quilts can hold their own as world class art and we think people will be amazed by the quality of work from these textile artists--and not what people tend to think of when they think of “quilts.” www.artquiltgallerynyc.com -
HISTORY:
Since its opening in February, 1997, at 157 West 24 Street, The City Quilter has served New York’s quilters and other fiber artists, as well as all those interested in fine cotton fabric. In Fall of 2003, the shop more than tripled its space when it moved one block North to its present home at 133 West 25th Street.
- WEBSITE:
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CONTACT:
212-807-0390
quilters@cityquilter.com
News
August 23, 2010
Q: What is the history of The City Quilter, how did it get started?
A. The City Quilter was established in 1997 by Cathy Izzo and her husband, Dale Riehl. Both worked in the television business before opening The City Quilter. It was in the mid ‘90s that the married couple saw the opportunity to open their own quilting business based on the demand in the area and the viable market of New York City. They have been catering to people interested in quilting and fabric from all around the world ever since.
Q: What is your position within The City Quilter?
A. Cathy Izzo co-owns The City Quilter with her husband, Dale Riehl.
Q: What services and materials does The City Quilter provide? What is your niche within the industry?
A. Ms. Izzo defines The City Quilter as a “fabric store”, meaning that it is first and foremost about their wide selection of 100% cotton fabrics. They also offer over 150 different courses in quilting and other fabric-related functions throughout the year. A service that Mr. Riehl and Ms. Izzo believe sets The City Quilter apart is that every employee is completely knowledgeable on quilting and the fabrics, as most of them are teachers in the courses that the store offers. As Mr. Riehl puts it, The City Quilter is in the business of “helping people make beautiful things with fabric”.
Q. What type of classes do you offer at your store?
A. The City Quilter offers a wide variety of classes. They offer traditional courses for different skill levels, and they have top-end, Bernina sewing machines that people in the course can use. An added benefit of these courses is that they are located within the store, thereby giving students of the course access to the seemingly endless selection of patterns and fabrics.
Q: Who is your target market?
A. The City Quilter’s target market is anyone who loves fabric. Mr. Riehl and Ms. Izzo do not gear their store towards any one type of person, because they say that their customers, and quilting enthusiasts as a whole, defy most stereotypes that people might have of them. People from Madison Avenue and Wall Street jobs frequent the quilting courses, and designers from Broadway and FIT also visit The City Quilter in search of fabrics for their respective projects. Fabric enthusiasts from around the world visit The City Quilter when visiting Manhattan. The City Quilter’s customer base is largely female, but Mr. Riehl estimates that their male customer base is the largest of any such store in the US.
Q: What makes The City Quilter stand apart from others in the fabrics industry?
A. The wide variety of on-site classes as well as its incredibly knowledgeable staff is what makes The City Quilter stand apart from others in the fabrics industry.
Q: How does your company promote its services?
A. The City Quilter became and has remained successful largely by word-of-mouth referral. The City Quilter is one of only a few stores of its kind in New York City, meaning that New Yorkers will come in regularly for fabric and quilting needs and traveling fabric-enthusiasts will seek them out as well. The City Quilter’s position in the Chelsea area helps its business as well.
Q: What is the biggest challenge in running a company like The City Quilter?
A. Mr. Riehl says that the biggest challenge is “how much there is to do in a day”. He also says that “standing above the water line” is difficult, meaning that it is sometimes hard to step away from the day-to-day rush of running a company and prioritize for the long term.
Q: Do you have any new projects or developments?
A. The City Quilter’s newest project is what they call “New York iconographic fabrics”. These are 100% cotton fabrics with designs specifically pertaining to New York City. Designs that they have recently created include a fabric with New York postcards from the ‘30s as well as their take on NYC’s subway map, but officially licensed by the MTA. The people at the City Quilter believe that there is a great market for such designs because New Yorkers enjoy them as a part of their identity, and tourists to the city that are interested in fabrics want something that is distinctly New York. This line is unique in that it is seen through, from conceptualization to fabric design to production, all on premises. The City Quilter owns the rights exclusively to these patterns and is the only vender as well.
Q: Where do you see The City Quilter going in the next few years?
A. Mr. Riehl sees the City Quilter retaining its identity for years to come, and expanding certain endeavors, namely the New York Fabrics. He believes that the New York Fabrics is an area that has great potential.
Q: Does The City Quilter have any existing relationships with other Dezer tenants?
A. They keep a friendly relationship with many, including the hair salon next door, but would love to expand business relationships with other Dezer tenants in the future.
October 16, 2009
Our retail shop for quilters and other fabric artists has organized an exhibition of 61 quilts from September 22 through November 14. "MADE IN NEW YORK: City Quilting" takes place at the Williams Club <http://www.williamsclub.org> , 24 East 39 Street, and is free and open for viewing from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week. Cathy Izzo, the shop’s co-owner commented: “There are so few opportunities for the public to see quilts in New York City, and the vast range of quilting styles will surprise--and please--all the visitors. We expect a big response to a show that will help advance New Yorkers’ interest in quilting.”
Quilt Exhibition From September 22 - November 14
August 25, 2009
Our retail shop for quilters and other fabric artists has organized an exhibition of 61 quilts from September 22 through November 14.
"MADE IN NEW YORK: City Quilting" takes place at the Williams Club <http://www.williamsclub.org> , 24 East 39 Street, and is free and open for viewing from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.
Cathy Izzo, the shop’s co-owner commented: “There are so few opportunities for the public to see quilts in New York City, and the vast range of quilting styles will surprise--and please--all the visitors. We expect a big response to a show that will help advance New Yorkers’ interest in quilting.”