Beckenstein Bespoke

In 1919, Polish immigrant Samuel Beckenstein started selling rags by the pound out of a pushcart on Orchard Street. Not only would he become a forefather of the Lower East Side fabric trade, but his business would grow to become a menswear empire. Today, Beckenstein’s grandson, Neal Boyarsky, runs the company along with his own son, Jonathan. The tri-level location houses more than 10,000 fabrics on the first floor (Beckenstein’s Men’s Fabrics is the exclusive U.S. agent for ultraluxe Scabal fabric), and the balcony level serves as Beckenstein Bespoke’s atelier. That floor is where director of custom tailoring Steven Tabak, formerly the head fitter for Paul Stuart, measures clients for traditional English-style suits ($1,500–$5,000). “We nail it the first fitting,” boasts Jonathan Boyarsky. For the ladies, hand-tailored button-down shirts ($150–$175) are a popular request among the boardroom set.