Do you know which area (bourogh) in New York your daughter will be in? If Manhattan or Brooklyn, my daughter works in Manhattan and lives in Brooklyn. I did a search for fabric stores and these are in Manhattan
P & S Fabrics Corp · Website · (212) 226-1534
360 Broadway · New York · DirectionsParon Fabrics · Website · (212) 768-3266
206 W 40th St · New York · DirectionsMood Fabric Inc · Website · (212) 730-5003
225 W 37th St # 3 · New York · DirectionsAndover Fabrics · (212) 710-1000
1384 Broadway Rm 1500 · New York · Directionsmore listings
online I read a reveiw of P& S and it seems to be pretty good. There was a fabric discount store in my seach in Brooklyn but I will check with my daughter about the neighborhood, some parts of Brooklyn might not be the best to be in especially if you aren't familiar with the area. The 4 I pasted here are all in Manhattan and should be fine. I will talk to her tomorrow and follow up.