Sew With Me — Attraction in Lake Elmo

UPDATE in response to owner's reply:

It is unfortunate that the owner assumed I used the machine foot before bringing it back. I purchased the foot, wrapped it as a gift, was told by my daughter that it was not what she wanted and wouldn't work for her project, and then I brought it back to the shop to return it. Perhaps because the package was torn at the seal, the assumption was made that it had been used. It was torn because the employee who originally sold it to me tore the package open when she was making sure it was the correct one for my daughter's machine. The fact that someone took the time to do this was the reason I originally gave two stars instead of one.

After reading the owner's reply to my review, I am even more disappointed with my overall experience. The fact that the only way to hear from a shop owner is to leave a poor review speaks volumes. When there is a problem or concern, a shop with excellent customer service uses it as an opportunity to show just how valued their customers are. This shop missed that opportunity.

ORIGINAL POST: I stopped in looking for something specific for a birthday gift for my daughter, not just to browse, so it would have been helpful to be greeted right away. I was not. I didn’t realize it at first, but there was a worker sitting behind a display by the door who didn’t acknowledge me until I had been there for a while. There were no other workers in the main area. When I finally was greeted, the woman seemed annoyed I was there. It didn’t feel very welcoming, to say the least. Eventually, I was able to get help from someone else who then enlisted the help of a third person to make sure the specialty foot I wanted was right for my daughter’s machine. I was happy for the help. $53 later, I was on my way.

It turns out, the specialty foot was not going to work for what my daughter needed it for, so I went in to return it. I was told the sale was final and I could not return it. As I stood at the counter in disbelief, I did see a sign lying flat on the counter among all the other notes and clutter that all sales were final. This sign could have easily been covered by other items when I initially purchased the foot. I absolutely would not have purchased it if I had known I couldn’t return it since I was unsure whether it would work for my daughter. The two women who helped me knew it was for a gift and that I wasn’t even sure it would work for her machine and her projects, but they didn’t tell me there were no returns. The receipt also said nothing about a return policy – only that I should share my experience on social media.

I try my best to buy from small businesses, even if the price is higher. This time I regret it. Though they didn’t offer store credit, I would have taken that at the time. Before I left, someone wrote down an explanation of my situation and took my name and number so the owner could call me back. It’s been a week or two and I have received no call. Other reviews also mention they receive no response from this shop. I wish I would have done some research before I made my purchase. When customers are happy and taken care of, they share their experiences with others. When customers are not treated well, they share their experiences...

Had a sewing machine repair for $75. Did not fix it. I have left messages, but they don't use voicemail. I left messages with employees too, but the owner who did the repair doesn't bother to call back. He seems to always be on vacation too. I was told to keep calling back every day and maybe Aaron (the owner) will be there one of the times I call. This is crazy! I have my own job to be doing during their business hours. I like to support local businesses, but will not support them because unfortunately they are not run like a business.

Update: I was pleased that I received a call back after I left the review. I made an appointment with Laura to bring in the machine. I explained the issue I was having with the upper tension being inconsistent in the mechanism that controls it. And that I have played around with it enough to know when it will work well and not work well. Laura is an experienced sewer and felt that my thread wasn't perfect and that my needle wasn't the best choice. I will not disagree with her findings. However, we only threaded the machine once and I have been experiencing inconsistencies through the tensioning mechanism when threading even when trying different thread and needles. Maybe my older machine is getting more particular. Bottom line is, I am not an expert on sewing machine repairs and maybe this is the best that my sewing machine can perform now. So even if that is the conclusion with repair, I will not be returning.. My time with Laura was unpleasant at best. I was left feeling as she wanted "evidence" (her words) that the machine could make a good stitch, than fully understanding the intermittent issue I was having. She then gave me a lecture on my review. I decided to speak up on issue that prompted drove me to initiate the review. It is that I felt like I wasted my money and tried to resolve my issue, but was met with unresponsiveness in the many messages I left. The initial messages were on the answering machine. None of those were answered. The last four were during their normal business hours. I put in more than reasonable effort to rectify the situation. The first response back was after the review and it did not need to come to that...and I would have liked to be treated as customer trying to rectify the situation instead of being difficult and in need...

I usually avoid posting negative reviews, but I fear if I don't publicly write about my experience that others will have similar issues. I ran over a pin with my sewing machine and the Bobbin thread would no longer pull up, so I brought my machine into the store for repair. The ladies at the store seemed to be incredibly helpful and I felt as though I was leaving my machine in good hands. The next week I called to check on the status of my machine - they said it would be another week before the repairman could look at it. Totally fine by me. Another week passes, so I call again and get the same response. Two more weeks pass, similar story. COVID-19 lockdown happens, and I get radio silence. Eventually I reach out on Facebook since their website said their store was closed but repairs were still happening. I made it clear that I understood these are crazy times and it's okay that it's not repaired yet; I just wanted to know what's going on with my machine (what's wrong with it, have they ordered a part, how long until the part is expected to arrive, etc.) After 6 more weeks of messaging with no clear next step, I'd had enough. I called the store twice, and kindly asked to pick up my machine. They said they'd call me back in two minutes. I never received a call. Finally, on a Friday evening after 3 months of absolutely zero communication initiated by anyone at the store, I called and left a message stating I had no idea where my machine was, what the status of it was, and if it was even in their possession. I said I would pursue legal action if I couldn't come pick up my machine. They finally called me back the next day to say I could come get it. Now I will be driving over an hour to take my machine to a store I trust in St. Cloud. I'm a big advocate of supporting local businesses, but this is the worst customer experience I've received. I would not recommend taking your machine...