I moved here in 1980, too late for Penney's fabric department, but can clearly remember the wonderful fabrics that Sakowitz carried. I found the material for my first aboyne there.

I remember JCPenney Fabrics beingg in the basement in the late fifties went with an aunt who was a quilter. Don't remember when they stopped. :P

I remember JCPenney Fabrics beingg in the basement in the late fifties went with an aunt who was a quilter. Don't remember when they stopped. :P

My Mom worked at the J.C. Penney store in Phoenix,AZ in the fabric department. They clised the department in I beleave 1970.

Never knew about Penney's, but I do remember when Sears sold fabric.

Yes, I do remember when they sold fabric, but has to have been in the 60's or early 70's. Montgomery Wards did also for many years, but don't recall Sears ever having any.

Nothing like a blast from the past. First my friend posting pics of us in high school. Not Penneys fabrics. I remember my mom and I going to Penneys in the basement of their store in Santa Barbara, CA and buying fabric for me for sewing in home ec. That was when I was in junior high in the mid 60's. She didn't like Sears fabric as much but we got lots of fabric from Penneys as I was the oldest of 6 and my mom and I did alot of sewing. As did my dad's mom who lived there, too. Thanks for some more flashbacks!!

I remember Anthony's when we moved to Austin in 1953. It was in the Delwood Shopping Cntr.

I also remember our one and only Penny's back then. It was in downtown Austin, down on Congress Ave. in same block as Oscar Snowden's, a big appliance store where I bought my Pfaff 262 in 1968. Anyway, mother bought most of my school dresses there in that Penny's, if she didn't make them at home herself on her treadle. But what I do remember about the Penny's store is that the credit dept. was upstairs, and when you paid or charged it, the ticket and money was put in a capsule much like the drive up windows at the bank, only it rode up on a cable, not air pressure. Wow have we all sent ourselves down memory lane! I vaguely remember the fabric but it was there indeed because mother did buy some.

All these stores also carried fabrics in their catalogs. You could even buy a bedspread and order matching yardage to make curtains to match. Too bad these things are long gone. :thumbdown:

Yes, years ago, perhaps 30-40 years ago they had a wonderful fabric department similar to Hancocks today. I use to go there with my Mom alot to buy fabric. I can't quite put a year on when they quit this but I am thinking perhaps 1975. Boy am I dating myself...Yikes!

I bought enough Pendleton Wool from JC Penneys, for a shirt for my husband in tht early 70s.

In the 1960's almost all dept stores sold fabric. OUCH I'm old

Yes I do remember too fabric at Winn's and Beall and I think even Dillard's.

I used to buy fabric from Penneys, Sprouse-Reitz, Payless and K-Mart.

Gee didn't we all learn something new today. I was telling my husband a couple of weeks ago about our Penneys material in our down stairs department. My how time passes us by. But what great memories to share with others and to bring them back to our's that knew.

Thank's for the question.

Yes - I remember well the fabric sold at Penneys. As I remember they had nice material for the time. That was back in the 50-60's.

I see I'm showing my age, LOL. Yes, waaay back in the day most department stores sold fabric. I remember buying fabric from JCPenny, Sears, Montgomery Ward. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a resurgence?

I worked part time in the Penneys fabric dept. [among others] in the early 1968 - thru the early 70s in Wisconsin.. Im not sure when they stopped selling fabrics, but they used to have a lot of fabrics and having little girls I was able to take advantage of the 15% discount we used to get as employees on top of the sale or remnant price

Yes, most department stores sold fabric! I bought the fabric for my wedding gown in 1969 at Macy's in Sacaramento. Mervyn's, a popular chain in the west, out of business now, sold fabric when I worked their in 1980. Wards, Sears, Penney's, and many other stores all had fabric. In fact, I learned to sew using 4 yards for $1 fabric from Penney's. It's hard to believe that we went from nearly everyone selling fabric and sewing notions to almost no one! One of my favorite travel stories took place about a year and a half ago. My husband and I were staying in Brian Head, Utah while visiting national parks and would drive into Cedar City to get groceries, gas, etc. While my husband was filling gas, I noticed a sign that said "Fabrics". I hadn't even started quilting yet, but have always been a sewer! I walked back up the street to find a hardward/fabric store. While the hardware portion was much larger than the fabric portion, they had a very nice selection of fabrics and notions. My husband and I both agreed that it was a store that we could both enjoy shopping at. I'm surprised that more small towns don't try this combination. I think it would be quite successful!

I graduated from high school in '78 and they were still selling fabric then.

My first sewing experience, age 8, was a class at the local Singer store. The fabric was purchased at JC Penny. That was 1952. I still have some scraps in my trunk. Is that stash hoarding or what?

That is exactly what I have been talking about this week. Joann's is opening stores all over the place, but in places that already have fabric available. Seems to me that more stores in small towns would be a better idea. Makes me wonder why the execs at these companies don't think like that. In our area when Walmart started doing away with their fabric departments, the first to go were in the places that didn't have anywhere else in the area to buy fabric and basic notions. I would love to see companies return to the notion of offering a service!! Probably not in my lifetime.

I remember Penneys selling fabric in the basement in Port Huron, Mi at least 25 years ago. they moved to the local mall after that & had no more fabric here anyway. Their quality was good when they had it. Good memories.

Yes, J. C. Penney sold fabric. We used to get a JC Penney catalog when I was a child and the catalog had a fabric section with fabric swatches. You could feel the material before you bought it. My mom would order from it since we lived about 30 miles from the nearest town, and with the transportation back then (late 40's and early 50's) it was more frugal to order from the catalog. I would like to see one of those old catalogs.

I bought fabric all my teen years and up until about 1984 or there abouts, that would be 30 years at least. They had the same quality as everyone else at that time. Test a small square by fire to see if it is all cotton. A polyester piece will melt on the edge a cotton piece will not. I still have one length of fabric in my collection from JC Penney.

Yes, JC Penney sold great fabrics. They stopped in our town in the very early 80's. I loved working in the fabric department when I worked at Penney's while in college. I always bought fabric at Penney's. When they stopped the fabric, I stopped shopping at Penney's. Same for other stores like Sears, KMart, Wards..... When I was young, there was lots of fabric to buy! But Penney's was the best!

I worked for JC Penney in 1971 and they had fabric then. I think that it went out right after that.

Years and years ago use to buy fabric there when I was a teenager.And that was a long time ago.

Oh yes....they all sold fabric Pennys, Wards, Sears, and even Zayres!!! I too believe it was until the early 1970's.

Sounds like my childhood..I too am 64 and Penney's was still selling fabric in 1978 here but quit soon after. KMart also sold pretty decent fabric.

I remember going to JC Penneys with my mother to buy fabric for school clothes in the early 70's

Oh yes. As a child I remember going to JCP with my mom and the fabric department was downstairs in the back corner of the basement (lousy light for color matching), then we went to
A&P to do the grocery shopping and stopped at the Standard Station to put gas in the car on the way home.

All the department stores sold fabric. Wards, jc pennys, Sears. One by one they all stopped when the big fabric stores came in. I even remember fred Meyer had fabric when we moved to Portland in the 80's. When i was in high school (in the late 60's and early 70's) I bought all my fabric from Sears. I just lived across the street. Things have changed Huh!!

Yes, JCP did sell fabrics - I think they continued through the 60's. I remember shopping there with my grandmother and also when I was out of high school. All the mid-range dept stores where I lived sold fabrics - Sears, JCP, Belks.

Yes, they sold almost everything a long time ago. I'm 73 and still miss being able to go to JC's like we go to Walmart now, exception is groceries.

I don't know when they stopped but pretty sure they were selling fabric in 1968 my mother in law used to shop there for fabrics.

I can remember going with my mother to Penneys for material. From what I can remember, it was a fairly large dept. I know that it was in the very back of the store. (Whew...that's going back a ways for me to remember!!!) LOL

I am 63 and this all is so familar. I definitely can relate.

I live in Sioux Falls, SD and remember that the Penney's store carried fabric, fashion, decorator and flannel along with cottons. I believe they stopped stocking when the store moved from downtown to the new shopping mall (which is now like 37 years old). Lots of department stores carried fabrics - Sears, Montgomery Wards, KMarts, it wasn't unusual in the 60's & 70's.

I can remember seeing fabric in the JC Penney catalog and I think I remember it being sold in the Penny's store.