When I was growing up in the late 50s and all through the 60s, J.C.Penney was where my mother bought all her fabric. They had a complete fabric department with all sorts of notions, patterns, scissors, etc. I bought patterns and fabric there for my own clothes when I started sewing for myself at about 13. Unfortunately, the fabric department was phased out in the late 60s or early 70s. I sure miss those times.
Oh, and one cool thing. The Penney's cutting table had one of those measuring machines. The clerk would pull the fabric through the machine and it would measure as it went. When the meter reached whatever yardage you wanted, the clerk would press a little lever and the machine would "nick" the fabric edge. Then the clerk would cut or tear across the fabric from the point of that little cut. Wish stores still had those today.