I am just getting home from the New York International Home and Gift Show and I just couldn’t wait to share with you my experience of visiting a store that I have read about in numerous publications. This is a place that probably does not appeal to the masses but for those that have a love of the past and a creative side…it is a goal to get there. I stumbled upon the idea of a visit while at a booth at the Trade show of an artist who I admire and met last year at the show, Wendy Addison. Also at that booth, unbeknownst to me, was the owner of the aforementioned store that I have longed to visit! I asked a question of a woman standing with a badge on and as it turns out, she is the owner of the dream destination store…Tinsel Trading Company. After I embarrass myself by gushing out to her my love for what she does she tells me that her store is only six blocks away! Six blocks! What an excuse to leave the sometimes claustrophobic, over heated (on a 60+ degree Winter day) visually polluted environment of the show. Thankfully, my partner in crime Chris agreed to this brisk walk even though she knew nothing of where we were going.
Located in the Fashion District of NYC, we passed many storefronts with signs blaring of their fabrics, trims and notions. None are like the one we walked into on 37th Avenue. It is a treasure trove of antique and vintage threads, glass glitter, ribbons, appliques, metals and the like.
It all started with a man a long time ago who amassed a collection of the most extraordinary inventory from all over the world beginning with his job working at the French Tinsel Company in Manhattan. He purchased the company in 1933 and changed the name to the Tinsel Trading Company. He continued his passion of collecting from all over the world and when he died in 1989, his granddaughter, Marcia was left with the job of trying to make sense of the thousands upon thousands of items that he had stockpiled over the decades.
Marcia has done a fabulous job and it has become the destination for Broadway and Hollywood costume and set designers, design divas like Martha Stewart and wanna be design divas like me!
She has brought to the shop the designs of her friend and Paper Artist, Wendy Addison to carry out the the vintage feel of her shop. Wendy incorporates German glass glitter and antique wood block letterpress in her creations and they are stunning, especially for one who loves all things paper!
Check out the packaging of some of the materials!
A visit to this shop is a must for those of you who love designs that give a nod to the past or who like to create with objects of beauty….highlight of my trip!
