To those who arent familiar with the Garment District, its kinda scary. It feels 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the city, its jam packed and filled with tiny stores and showrooms that herald from a different era.

However, if you are insider, the garment district is a place of possibility, ingeinuity and creativity! Trips to my favorite stops in the garment district leave my head reeling with ideas and inspiration. I am so excited that I finally had my camera with me when picking up a side of what is possibly the most beautiful leather in the world from Abea Leather. (It’s for the prettiest piece of furniture I ever conceived of and I am keeping it a secret from you until the big reveal!Dont worry, it should be soon!) They were a little embarrassed to let me take pictures because they claimed the showroom was “messy”, but I told them that that’s what I loved about it! Controlled clutter is what gets my imagination working! 

The first time I stepped foot into Abea Leather, my jaw dropped. On the 3rd floor of a building on West 38th st, you would never know it was there…unless you were looking for it! It is filled floor to ceiling with HUNDREDS of options in leather. I was drooling over samples as owner Laura Murphy helped me sort through all the colors and textures for this particular project. She even gave me a sneak peek as to what some of the biggest handbag designers are choosing for their upcoming collections (shrunken washed leathers…. shhhh!) and I almost died over this piece of nude leather that made me want to cry it was so pretty. You can see it below… Now what can I use that on? Hmmm…. a free chair comes to mind!

The prices are SUPER  reasonable-trade like prices… it makes shopping at the D&D for leather seem like a joke. I actually tried the uptown sources before I went downtown, and I couldnt find the exact leather that I knew I needed to make the piece perfect.

Abea will work with you over the phone or via email, ship around the country, send you as many samples as you need (even sample books if you are a designer), and you can buy leather in small or large amounts for design projects, accessories, book binding or anything else you can think of!

I got my leather in 1 day from their warehouse and it is now off to the upholsterer where it belongs. I snipped a little piece off the hide so I could look at it until I get the finished product. THATS how nutty I am!

I know most of you wont need leather this instant, but you probably will eventually (I think every room needs these three textures: leather, linen and velvet!) so bookmark it, instapaper it or commit to memory this source. I really feel like it is my duty to share these sources with you when I come across them.

If you are in NYC I recommend dropping in because this place is an Alladin’s Cave of Wonders…

Contact Info:

39 West 38th Street, 3rd floor

NY, New York 10018

212.947.1153

info@abeagp.com