Paron Fabrics, New York

Located in the heart of New York's Garment District, three short blocks south of Times Square, Paron Fabrics has been a fashion landmark for more than 40 years. Stocked with designer-name and costuming fabrics, the family-run store also keeps a wide variety of textures and trims on hand, from kitten-soft cashmere to flashy stage sequins. Cloth from Chanel, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan graces the shelves, alongside silks, jersey knits, and a variety of exclusive decor fabrics, including velvets. The multilingual staff cheerfully provides swatches and hunts down elusive prints and arms seamsters with two full lines of patterns, Kwik Sew and Burda. In the onsite Paron Annex deeply discounted fabric awaits, helping patrons make large-scale projects on the cheap, such as to-scale reproductions of Cleopatra's purple silk sails.