in Downtown LA by Melia
between 7th Street and Olympic Boulevard in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. Store after store carries everything you will need to embellish your costume, including fringe*, sequins, baubles and beads, trim, rhinestones, tiaras and crowns, chains, feathers, costume jewelry and appliqués. Although you can find glittery goodies throughout the Fashion District, Maple Avenue is where you will probably find the highest concentration of stores that carry these items. * The glass fringe usually comes on ribbon and is not as dense as the fringe from Egypt, so you will probably want to double it. If this is your first visit, give yourself plenty of time to explore. There are many stores packed into three short blocks and the sheer volume of pretty things can be overwhelming.
where they are located within the store. After walking into the tenth store with rows and rows of spools of trim, you’ll be glad you did that. You may even want to take along a digital camera for a quick picture of the items you like. An easy way to remember which store carries the item in your photo is to put the business card in the shot. - Buy things on the way back to your car! That way you won’t have to carry your purchases while you are browsing, it will give you time to think about what you want to purchase, and you will be less likely to buy on impulse. Most stores will not take an item back if they cut a specific length for you (trim, fringe, etc.), so if you buy the nice trim you saw in one store, but later find the trim you have been looking for all of your life in another store, you probably won’t be able to return the trim you bought in the first store. In any case, it is always a good idea to check each store’s return policy before you buy. -Bring water and wear comfortable shoes.
especially if you are buying in volume. Prices for similar items will sometimes vary significantly from one store to the other, but make sure that when you are comparing the price of similar items that the items are of equal quality.
one store to the next more than you can handle? Here are just 5 stores to hit that will probably carry everything you need: Start at E. 7th Street on Maple --(walking toward Olympic Boulevard), and stop into Beads & Trim on the right side of the street. Here you will find a large assortment of rhinestone chains, rhinestones (you can buy a mixed assortment of sizes, shapes and colors by the scoop for about $11.98 /lb.) and costume jewelry. In the back of the store there are more goodies, including spools and spools of trim. They also sometimes carry a few costume pieces. Walk to E. 8th Street and make a left. Cross Maple and continue down 8th Street until you come to Berger Beads (it’s about half way down the block on the left). Berger Beads has been there for 46 years and is one of the oldest establishments in the area. Here you will finds walls full of boxes containing baubles and beads, rhinestones in almost every shape, size and color you can imagine, coins and buttons. In the back there is a wall covered with appliqués and in the display case below, you will find fringe, elaborate sequin trim and rhinestone chains. Go back to Maple and make a left (continuing toward Olympic). Cross 8th Street. You are now standing in front of Azi Payless (it’s on the corner of 8th Street and Maple). They have fringe, feather boas and a wide assortment of trim. They sometimes also carry full costumes and peacock feathers. Continue down Maple on the left side of the street. A few doors from Azi Payless is the Bohemian Crystal/Bead Factory. You will find bead fringe, baubles and beads, rhinestone chains, sequins and a large variety of rhinestones.
proceed to 9th Street. Cross 9th and continue on the left side of the street until you reach Michael Levine. This is a large fabric store with a very nice selection of appliqués, rhinestone buckles, buttons and tiaras. That’s it! Most places carry glitter and rhinestone glue and other things you will need to make your own personal masterpiece. A large variety of glue, puffy paint, silk flowers, glitter, etc. can be found two blocks south of Maple, between 7th and 8th Street at Michaels-Moskatel & Craft store, 733 South San Julian Street (see map). [If you are walking from Olympic toward 7th Street, take a right at 8th, walk 2 full blocks (Maple Avenue to Wall Avenue (there’s a little side street in between called Cecilia), Wall Avenue to San Julian Street) and make a left.] Parking: There are one-hour meters on the street (if you can find a space) where you will plunk down $1.50 for an hour and end up keeping your eye on your watch instead of all the glittery things there are to see. A parking lot is probably a better option. There are lots that charge $3 to park all day (a couple of them on Maple are noted on the map). Be careful . . . there are big signs on some of the lots that say $3, but if you look closer it is $3 every 20 minutes. Maple Street in Downtown Los Angeles . . . a great place to let your imagination run wild. You may just find the perfect piece of trim to build your costume around. 1. Beads & Trims 741 S. Maple Avenue Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-689-1000 Email: Isaac@BeadsandTrims.com Store Hours: Mon – Sat 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 2. Berger Specialty Company 413 E. Eighth Street Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-627-8783 Email: BergerBeads@sbcglobal.net Store Hours: Mon – Fri 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sat 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3. AZI Payless 800 S. Maple Avenue Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-622-6161 Store Hours: Mon – Fri 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sat & Sun 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 4. Bohemian Crystal/Beads Factory 812 S. Maple Avenue Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-627-9553 Email: Sales@beadsfactory.com Store Hours: Mon – Fri 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sat 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 5. Michael Levine, Inc. 920 S. Maple Avenue Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-622-6259 Email: Sales@mlfabrics.com Store Hours: Mon – Fri 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sat 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 6. Michaels-Moskatels & Craft 733 S. San Julian Los Angeles 90014 Telephone No: 213-689-4830 |
Spools of Rhinestone Chains at
Beads & Trim
Rhinestones, Appliques, Fringe and Trim at Berger Beads
| Rhinestones and Rhinestone Chains at the Bead Factory |
Fabric, Appliqués and Tiaras at Michael Levine
Need to learn how to make a costume? These links have helpful information:
see The Costume Goddess (on Shira.net) (how-to books and tips on costume design and sewing) Learn to Sew Belly Dance Costumes (costume terms defined, patterns and sewing tips) |
Go with a game plan:
- Before you leave home, make a list of any items you need.
- Start at either 7th Street or Olympic Boulevard.
- Browse stores, collecting business cards along the way. On
the back of each card, jot down the type of items the store
carries and anything special that you liked, even if it’s not
something you are planning to buy this trip. It’s a great way to
jog your memory in the future when you are trying to remember
which store carried those breathtaking rhinestone appliqué
that you loved.
- Before you leave home, make a list of any items you need.
- Start at either 7th Street or Olympic Boulevard.
- Browse stores, collecting business cards along the way. On
the back of each card, jot down the type of items the store
carries and anything special that you liked, even if it’s not
something you are planning to buy this trip. It’s a great way to
jog your memory in the future when you are trying to remember
which store carried those breathtaking rhinestone appliqué
that you loved.
| Azi Payless |
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