Recently there was a not unusual thread about buying silk in Bangkok . I knew of an alternate quality source to JT's but could not recall its name .I have now dug out my *Wallpaper* City Guide for Bangkok , which is where I read of this place . Almeta 20/3 Thano Sukhumvit Soi 23 , tel. 02 258 4227 , www.almeta.com
The difference in what the two stores offer is that Almeta apparently offer bespoke custom weaving etc and can , depending on what is wanted , produce it in a few days .The weaving is done in "..nearby Esarn.." It says that their product is more in line with " the current modern Bangkok forms ."
Now I did not get to the shop when I was last there in June 07 so cannot vouch for what I have set out above but thought that Fodorites might find it useful .Our experts who know a lot about the city may shed further light on it if they been to it to shop and their comparative views of it and JT's .

almeta has been mentioned before as a good place to buy silk. Noter that the silk there is quite different from the Jim Thompson silks. JT is famous for their gorgeous silk prints and woven patterns. The machine weaving is very fine, producing a smooth, fluid silk. The silks from Almeta tend more toward the nubby silks, and, as their website says, they do deal in handwoven silks. While there is some overlap in the types of fabric they carry, I would consider the two as sources for very differnt types of silks.

Thanks Kathie .Most interesting to know the difference .It now means 2 shops to always visit and at least Almeta is sort of on the way to or from the JT clearance shop .

I have posted on Almeta previously. I have had a duvet covet and pillows made at Almeta, and love their silk. I'm not sure what Kathie means by Almeta having "nubby" silk as opposed to JT, as it is really Thai silk as re-developed by Jim Thompson in the 19060's which is heavier and nubbier than Chinese silk, so to me all Thai silk, including JT silk, is "nubby". Almeta as a variety of fabric type available, both the more tradition "nubby" Thai silk and then they also specialize is a very light thin silk which is more akin to a Chinese silk. Almeta has just a huge selection of fabric types and colours available, the selection seems much larger than what I have seen in the furnishing fabric department at the JT shops.

Alameta seems to specialize mostly in bespoke, that is, their shop does not carry the huge selection of ready-made gift items like scarves, pillow cases, lipstick cases, ties, etc which JT does. They do have some placements, bathrobes and other items (they also carry silverware and other home items), but the shop is primarily for picking out the fabric you want and having it made into whatever you want. (They don't do a lot of tailoring for clothes, but you can buy yards of fabric and take it to a tailor).

I don't think they can do anything quickly to be honest. The duvet cover took almost 2 weeks, and the pillow shams longer. I of course was not a tourist there for a few days and was not in a hurry and did not ask them to rush it. They will ship things when they are finished so there is no need to have things done quickly, and for a bed of a standard size you obviously don't need a fitting like you would for clothing.

Their shop is located a few blocks down Soi 23 on the right, just off Sukumvit near the Asoke stop on the Skytrain. It is an easy walk from the Skytrain stop, maybe 5-10 minutes.

I would certainly defer to Cicerone in her more detailed description of what Almeta carries. I think of Almeta mostly in terms of the more hand-loomed, and therefore, rougher (in the sense of hand-craftedness) fabrics that I have purchased for upholstery and such.

All terrific tips and advice and thank you both . I interpreted " nubby " as a coarser and more noticeably woven finish , possibly of heavier weight and ,if it is , often good for upholstery .

In past years I've checked out Almeta silk. It's very nice. It all depends on what you want and what you're going to make out of it. Happy Travels!

my take on almeeta is that they have more variety of colors and will customize almost any color which you might want