maminstl

We were so familiar with the fabric department at Penney's that once my sister who was probably only 3 or 4 years old had walked up to the shopping strip where the Penney's was located in our city neighborhood. The clerks recognized her and called my mother.
In addition to Penney's, Famous Barr and Stix Baer and Fuller also had fabric departments that I shopped in when I was 19-20 years old. Now gone, it is Macy's and Dillards respectively.

rryder

When I was growing up (and even as a young adult) all the department stores sold fabric. Many also sold sewing machines.

Rob

Pam S

Back in the late 70s, early 80s, my local Meijer store in Flint, MI even sold fabric.

gillyo

I remember shopping for fabric at our old Penney's downtown in 1977. I'm sure of the year because it was my senior year and I was going to my friend's lake house and wanted to make some cute summer clothes. A lot of us sewed our own clothes in those days, I started when I was eleven.

I worked at Sears in the catalog department from 1978-80. They closed down the fabric department when I was working there. Great sale! I still use some of the silk thread I bought for 5 cents a spool.

The thing I remember the most is the popcorn in long skinny bags they sold at Penney's and the snack and candy bar at Sears. They even had a coffee shop in our Sears store! I miss those days...

donna13350

My first job was at Woolworths in the fabric dept., and my boss actually sent me to Penny's to scope out their fabrics and prices ! I miss the old stores, I especially like the old Ben Franklin's. Days gone by.

jofrob

You bet I do!!!! I'd forgotten all about them. I can still see that little hand going round and the clerk going back and forth to get that little hand exactly in the right spot before she pushed the lever down for the cut. Thanks for jogging my memory.

patchwork

When my children were 2 and 3 in the 60s I bought fabric from Penney 4yrds a dollar. Got 4 yards and made my first quilts for the bunk beds. Ugly fabric but it worked

Linda-K.

They sure did! I bought a lot for school clothes in the early 60s. They pretty much had a full fabric/patterns/notions area. The department was in the basement of the Everett, WA JCPenny store. Was disappointed when they got rid of it.

misseva

I don't know when Pennys stopped selling fabric but I remember my mother buying it in the late '40s/early 50s.

Aurora

Years ago, all department stores had great fabric departments. Then came the 70's with Hancock's, Piece Goods, Singers and JoAnne's. Then the department stores stopped selling fabrics one by one.