As you explore Paris on your free time during our Paris 2023 trip don’t overlook the fabulous fabric shops near the Montmartre and Sentier.
If you are heading for Montmartre and Sacré Coeur leave the Metro at Anvers, and walk through a maze of little streets towards the Basilica. Here you can do a little shopping in the many discount fabric stores in the area. The fabric district in Paris is called Marche St. Pierre, and is at the foot of Montmartre (below the Sacre Coeur Basilica). The textile stores are marked on the map, and their names appear below – I’ll be printing this page and sending it to you so you can take it on our trip to Paris.
The Marché St. Pierre is housed in a building at the foot of Sacré Coeur gardens on rue Charles Nodier and is devoted entirely to fabrics. Closed all day Sunday and on Mondays until 2 pm, there are apparently some real bargains to be had. The Marche itself is an experience, a bustle that reminds one of the Halles when they were still in Paris, something straight out of a Balzac novel. For a more sedate experience with still a lot of choices, try Reine across the street, which is particularly good for a leisurely perusal of all the good European patterns. Be aware that these stores run entirely on fabric closeouts – what you see is the last of what anyone can get, so don’t come back the next day having made up your mind and expect to find anything you saw before, half the stock can rotate in an afternoon.
The smaller stores that crowd the neighborhood also have great bargains, but come armed with matches and be prepared for extensive burn tests, because nobody will be held to any labeling, much less any oral description. Some bargaining might however be possible, depending on the circumstances.
A Tissus Reine
5, Place St Pierre, 75018 Paris, France
La Mercerie : Haberdashery : buttons etc
A Anvers Tissus
6, Rue Steinkerque, 75018 Paris, France
C Tissus d’Orsel
25, Rue Orsel, 75018 Paris, France
D Marché Saint Pierre (Dreyfus Déballage)
2 rue Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris, France
Category: Magasins de vente au détail – Tissus et fournitures de couture
E Tissus Lionel
5, Rue Seveste, 75018 Paris, France
F Tassangoro Africa Tissus
39, Rue Doudeauville, 75018 Paris, France
G Tissus Charles SARL
8, Rue Pierre Picard, 75018 Paris, France
H Tissus Butte Montmartre SARL
5, Rue Pierre Picard, 75018 Paris, France
I Sarl Tissus
10, Rue Seveste, 75018 Paris, France
J Tissus Jef
9, Rue Seveste, 75018 Paris, France
Tissus Moline
1, Place Saint-Pierre 75018 Paris, France – and
1-3-5-7 et 2-4-6 rue Livingstone 75018 Paris
Sentier is the oldest textile district in Paris where abundant fabric shops and clothing stores line rue du Sentier and rue St-Denis.
Within easy walking distance of Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou and the Marais, is the Sentier. Le sentier is the oldest textile neighborhood in Paris, north of the 3e near Reaumur-Sebastopol. le-sentier-paris.com Most of the stores do wholesale only (‘vente en gros’), and aren’t kidding about it. But a smattering indicate in the window that they do retail (‘vente au detail’), and you’ll get some of the most fashionable items on the planet, hot off the press. In any case, it’s worth strolling through for both the historical value and the fashion preview combined. It’s definitely one of the best places for shoe fetishists. It’s also right next to the oldest Jewish neighborhood in Paris (rue des Rosiers), and the newest gay one (rue St Croix de la Bretonnerie), so you can roll several interests into one afternoon. We recommend the rue des Rosiers for the mandatory post-shopping pastry.
18, rue du Sentier 75002 Paris
Take care not to stray too far north into the 10th Arrondissement where the Boulevard St. Martin and parts of rue du Faubourg-St Denis can be unsafe at any time of day.