Ever been some place and thought to yourself "how could it be that it took me so long to get here?" That my friends is exactly what happened to me two days ago when at long last I made it to the discount fabric district in Tel Aviv, called Nachalat Benyamin, after the main street it occupies.
Wow, wow, wow, I was just like a little fish in water flitting from store to store in search of mostly upholstery fabric for a design project I'm working on. This is totally my kind of place, with great bargains to be had and lots of fun searching for that special something. And of course all the interesting old architecture was a treat too, though I have to admit I missed a lot of it as my eyes were only on the bolts of fabric!
Price wise, I bought a woven upholstery fabric that I'd seen for 180 shekels retail (okay that store was also overpriced I realized later) for just 40 shekels a yard! That's paying $10 a yard instead of $45! And for those who sew, so there's an unlimited amount of fabric for 10 shekels a yard, and I'm kicking myself now for not having made numerous purchases!
And if you happen to visit the market with a friend or family member who just can't keep up, well fortunately there are lots of benches and shade where they can sit and just wait while you continue on your merry way!
Nachalat Benyamin, a lovely fabric market with lots of character, is located on a pedestrian mall which is also home to a crafts street fair on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sounds like lots of fun too, though if you're serious about your fabric shopping it might be wise to go on a non craft fair day as I did. Unfortunately for me, this little discovery isn't so close to home, it's about a 2 1/2 hour drive alack alas. Nonetheless, now that I know about it, I'll find a way to get there!
