Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Chelsea 'Quilting Mecca' to Close After Nearly Two Decades

By Maya Rajamani | August 9, 2016 9:44am
 The City Quilter at 133 W. 25th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
The City Quilter at 133 W. 25th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani

CHELSEA — A “quilting mecca” for local crafters and international tourists alike is closing after nearly two decades.

The City Quilter, a quilting shop at 133 W. 25th St. between Sixth and Seventh avenues, will shut its doors in October, co-owner Cathy Izzo, 63, said Monday.

As she and her husband/co-owner Dale Riehl, 66, neared retirement age, they were reluctant to sign another five-year lease this fall, she said. 

They tried to sell the shop, but "didn't really get too many nibbles," she said.

"Retail in Manhattan is not an easy undertaking," she said. "I'm going to miss a lot of people, but it just seemed like the right time."

She and Riehl will continue selling the store's signature New York City-centric fabrics — emblazoned with images ranging from subway maps to Grand Central’s ceiling constellations — online, she said.

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York first reported the store’s impending closure.

The shop has sold fabrics, patterns, sewing machines and other quilting necessities since it opened in 1997, the New York Times wrote in a 2011 profile.

Izzo and Riehl opened a gallery devoted to the art of quilting next door to the shop in 2011, but closed it at the end of 2014, citing expenses that “could not be justified.”

The City Quilter, which offered quilting and sewing classes, was a “hangout spot” for many of the city’s older crafters, said an employee named Mimi, 27.

Tourists from countries like England, Australia and France, stopped in to peruse the store’s offerings over the years, she explained

“This was sort of like the quilting mecca,” Mimi said. “This was a destination.”

The store will sell off its classroom and floor-model sewing machines as the closing date approaches, Izzo added.

"We had a really good run, I think, for a small mom-and-pop store in Manhattan," she said. "It's a testament to our loyal customers."