Shopping for Fabric in Paris

Shopping ‘Fabric Alley’ in Paris

Paris may be the city of fashion, so where is the best place to find fabric? One neighborhood is crammed with fabric shops of all kinds and sizes, and that is the ‘Fabric Alley’ which lies at the foot of the Sacre Coeur.

Where: north of Boulevard de Rochechouart at the base of the hill up to Sacre Coeur.
How to Get There: From the Barbes Rochechouart Metro station (#4, magenta), walk across street to the “Tati” store, and start up the street to the left. At the second street, Clignancourt, turn right. The very next left, Rue de Livingstone, is "Fabric Alley" (this should be immediately apparent). The same street is also a main walk towards the bottom of the Sacre Coeur hill. This district is a great follow-up to a Saturday morning visit up to the flea market at Clingnancourt. Just hope on the metro heading back south and exit at the Barbes Rochechouart station.

Rather than list names of shops and addresses for you to check out, I think that it is more fun to explore this little district without trying to seek out a specific business. Each shop has it’s own merchandise selection, although you will find some repeats in stock selection. Some larger stores have several floors with differing textiles on each.

On any Saturday this area is busy with shoppers and tourists heading for the church on the hill. Most shops have tables of discounted fabrics out on the sidewalk, with better fabric inside. I also include here a few shots of store hours as posted on the windows.

If you are traveling with others, let them go on up to the Sacre Coeur. As you can see here, it's right there above the shops. They can enjoy the view while you take your time plundering the shops below. That way you will feel less guilty about making someone wait around on the curb for you while you spend too much time shopping inside.