I am 68. When I was in high school, the only place we could purchase fabric in our small town was at Penny's. This was the late 50's, early 60's. I don't remember having such a thing as polyester yet. I used to shop there a lot because I was considered tall and they didn't make pants long enough in the legs to fit me so I had to make my own. Since then, they make pants longer. I think Penny's stopped selling fabric in the mid 70's.