Newtown Sew & Vac

Exceptional service in a timely manner and owner was very professional.

vacuum fixed = neat place

I have seen heaven, and it’s Newtown Sew and Vac. Don’t call me overdramatic – I’ve been to countless repair shops with their crusty old dudes who make you feel like less of a person for having a broken item – but Newtown Sew and Vac is different. It’s not a repair shop. It’s an EXPERIENCE. Against everyone’s better judgement, I bought a cheap, used sewing machine on the internet, and to no one’s surprise, it didn’t function as advertised. The seller was a stand-up guy and offered to repair it…if I mailed it back to him at $50 and tons of wear and tear on the machine, or I could take it to my own shop to see what they could do. I didn’t have a “shop”, so I didn’t know where to turn until I Googled Newtown Sew and Vac. Sandor answered the phone, tried to help me troubleshoot it, and when all else failed, said I could bring it into the shop on a Friday when Tom, their repairman, would be there. I showed up that Friday, and to my surprise, Sandor remembered our phone conversation. I was a bit early, and he told me to make myself comfortable in their “kitchen” to wait a few minutes for Tom. His son arrived with the friendliest dog who DOESN’T jump or slobber (I’m from a dog family – friendly dogs jump and slobber on EVERYONE, but not this one!) and offered me a fancy coffee and some chocolate covered bacon. It was like I was a family member in their family kitchen! We chatted about an event they had had the night before, and I just knew I was someplace special…even before the repairman arrived! We also chatted about how much I had paid for the machine, which Sandor had plugged in and seemed to know everything about, and I was embarrassed to tell him how little I had paid for it thinking he would tell me I had gotten what I had paid for – a piece of junk. To my surprise, Sandor complimented me on having found a bargain, and when Tom arrived, Sandor, who was talking to a customer on the phone, told him I had quite a story. Tom listened patiently, laughed in all the right spots, then checked out the machine. In mere seconds, he correctly diagnosed the problem and attempted to fix it on the spot. Unfortunately, my stubborn bargain find just wouldn’t fix. So Tom offered me several possibilities when he would take it back to his workshop – either it just needed a little extra TLC (oil) or perhaps a part, but no matter what, he was perfectly willing to talk with the original seller on the phone to work out the cost which he broke down with each possible repair. He also said he’d be in touch before doing anything that would cost a fortune “because it wouldn’t make sense to charge a lot for something that had cost so little”. Why was I ever embarrassed? It was like taking my broken toy to my favorite family member that I knew would value my toy as much as I did (and wouldn’t overcharge me for fixing it!) I returned to pick up my machine the following week feeling pretty special. Sandor remembered exactly who I was and told me HE had a story for ME. Turns out the machine just needed some extra TLC after all, and Sandor wanted to make sure I wasn’t mad at the original seller, a sewing shop in Central PA, for missing something that had caused it to not work. He said it was like taking the car in for an oil change and the shop disassembling the transmission – no one would actually do that because it didn’t seem to need to be done, but in my case, it needed to be done, and Tom did the sewing machine equivalent of that. Pretty special, right? Well, as I was talking to Sandor about it, a customer with a Dyson vacuum came in right behind me, and Sandor’s son was helping her to troubleshoot it just like they had done for me with my sewing machine the week before. Sandor explained that they try to see if it’s something simple they can just fix on-site and not charge people – it’s not about the dollars, it’s about helping people. They help everyone who comes in with a broken “toy” and treat everyone like family. What an experience, and let me tell you, this place doesn’t just feel like heaven – it smells like it too!

They went above and beyond.

I left the machine and the repairman picked it up from the store on a Friday and returned the next Friday. Unfortunately he told me that my machine (Kenmore) had a broken gear and couldn't be fixed as parts were mo longer available for it. I was sad about that because it was a gift many years ago and although I do not sew much, it is handy to have a machine for some tasks. He suggested I not buy a new one as nowadays they are cheaply made and break easily. He had several old machines which he had reconditioned for sale there in the shop. I did purchase one of those, but have not tried it out yet, so I cannot speak to that. The owners were very pleasant and helpful and I certainly would use this business again. There was no charge for the service unless the repairman was able to fix the machine.

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I brought my vacuum cleaner into them, described the problem. They thought it was something simple. They did a diagnosis, and determined it was a simple jam and they fixed it for me at no charge and sent me on my way. I was very pleased

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