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.