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Behind the Scenes: What it Takes to Be a Sewing Machine Store Owner

We Carry
by Sara Snuggerud in Sewing Tips

I was reminded during a recent week-long trip to the Pfaff Dealer Convention in Las Vegas that people do not realize what it really takes to be a GOOD sewing machine store.

Each year sewing machine stores must continue to update their business, be certified on new products, and meet certain quota levels to continue to sell the sewing machine brand or brands they stock. If not, they risk loosing the right to sell that brand of sewing machine in their store.

Sewing Machine Store

At the recent Pfaff convention, each Pfaff dealership who attended had to take three certification classes to be able to stock, sell, educate and service the new top-of-the-line Pfaff Creative icon. If a store did not attend, that store would not be able order the new Pfaff Creative icon for the store. No certification. No product. Period.

Heirloom Creations sent three people to get certified. Steve and Sara are certified to sell and teach the Pfaff Creative icon and Ryan is certified to service the Pfaff Creative icon.

So why do some sewing machine stores flourish and others struggle?  

It takes more than just showing up and attending a certification class.

First, sewing machine stores are dealerships, not franchises. This means that each store owner can run their stores as they see fit. Each sewing machine brand (ie. Bernina, Pfaff, Viking) has their own set of guidelines or requirements that each store must follow and meet on an annual basis to continue to have the privilege to sell that particular product brand. This is why some customers feel like they do not get much in the line of classes and service at one store and wonder why their friends are getting so much more from a different store. Every store is different.

A GOOD Sewing Machine Store Stocks Product

When someone comes to Heirloom Creations to buy a sewing machine, they can usually can take the sewing machine home with them the same day. Our sewing machine warehouse is stocked full! People do not want to wait for their new machine. They want it today. With over 50 sewing machines to choose from on our showroom floor, that means we have well over 50 sewing machines in the back just waiting to go to their new homes. As a store owner we have to make calculated choices each day of which sewing machines to stock deeper than others so not to run out on a Saturday afternoon. With some sewing machines running over 10K each, it takes a healthy investment to keep so many machines on hand and ready to go.

Does your sewing machine store do that?

A GOOD Sewing Machine Store Offers an Education Program

As you can see by our miles and miles of sewing machine mastery classes, we WANT you to get every ounce of use from your new sewing machine as possible. Why buy a fancy machine if you are only going to use it for straight sewing? Not all stores offer the same level of education. Check the store’s class schedule BEFORE choosing where to purchase your next sewing machine. Good sewing machine stores invest a lot in their education staff.

Does your sewing machine store do that?

A GOOD Sewing Machine Store Has Certified Sewing Machine Service Technicians

A good sewing machine service center is worth their weight in gold. If a store has an excellent service track record, than that is the store you want to buy from. Sewing machine service men and woman do not become good over night. This profession takes a minimum of three years to truly become proficient – and that is just a good start.

With sewing machine stores closing up because they are reaching retirement age, we are finding that service centers are getting busier and more backed up because there are less people to service machines. Once your find a service center you trust, your loyalty of purchasing future machines from this store keeps everyone in business. This is what keeps a good store around for years to come.

A GOOD Sewing Machine Store Listens

As a store owner, our customers become close friends. When customers are friends we know about the grandkids, we hear about family weddings, we are excited about new baby arrivals, we care when health problems creep up and scare the living daylights out of us and we grieve when there is a passing in their family and we sob when our customers depart from this world.

Who would have thought that owning a sewing machine store would bring us so close to so many families. The sewing community is more than just sewing, it is sewing passion wrapped with love.

We are thankful for each person who puts their trust in Heirloom Creations when they make a sewing machine purchase. They might not understand how much we care until they actually come back to the store in search of help. But when they do, we are there for them.

That is what makes a sewing machine store GREAT.