Fabric Shopping in Montmartre, Paris

The majority of fabric shops I visited were in Montmartre, at the foot of the Sacre Coeur, mostly due to time constraints. When buying fabric in Paris, make sure you pay attention to the windows and doors as “vente en gros” means wholesale only, and they will not sell retail. Look for “vente en detail” when shopping as this means they are open for retail customers as well.  All of the shops I saw in Montmartre were “vente au detail” and the majority of the vendors spoke little English, which wasn't helpful for those more specific things.

One other thing to mention – and this is how I ended up buying almost all my fabric – is that there are lots of shops selling "coupons"– remnants. These are usually around three metres and are priced very cheaply. These shops are perfect if your French isn’t great or you’re self conscious about asking for fabric in the other big shops. The two biggest in Montmartre – Marché St. Pierre and Tissus Reine have their own small remnant shops packed to the brim with bargains.


Marché st. Pierre

The Marché st. Pierre is, without a doubt, one of the biggest and well stocked fabric stores I have ever been in. It is the one-stop for fabric in Paris.


Tissus Reine

Tissus Reine is just across the road from Marché st. Pierre. This is a fantastically huge fabric store.


Moline

Moline, dotted around Montmartre, is one brand – if you will – with a number of different shops under the same name. You’ll find these dotted all along rue d’Orsel and surrounds all selling different bits and pieces. Again, there is a “coupons” shop selling beautiful remnants. For those of you looking for chiffon, there seemed to be a plethora of varieties in here. Again, all very reasonably priced. The habedashers, just down the hill to the right of Marche St Pierre, sells an amazing array of buttons, ribbons and quilting fabrics.

If you wander around the backstreets around these two shops you will come across many other smaller fabric shops. If you’re after a bargain this is where you’ll find it. And if you have the patience and perseverance you’ll come away with a bargain.

Habedashers also have a fair amount of shops in the vicinity – I suppose it goes with the territory. The Marché st. Pierre has its own habedashers and there are numerous little crafting and wool shops around as well. All of them are worth a look.