Newtown Sew and Vac/Homeware — Attraction in Newtown Township

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...

I recently discovered this hidden gem when my new puppy chewed through the cord of my brand new steam vacuum cleaner! I wasn't sure I could even find someone these days to repair it, but the owner, Sandor, answered my email right away to let me know he could handle it. It was a huge relief! And he even came up with a brilliant solution to prevent my dog from chewing up the cord again. It was very affordable- and he fixed it in just a few minutes while I waited. I was so impressed.

Needless to say I was embarrassed to walk in a few weeks later when my puppy bit through the cord to my expensive humidifier! But Sandor came up with another great solution, and he was very kind and understanding about the situation! Both the vacuum and humidifier are working perfectly.

I hope I don't need to repair anything else soon, though I likely will return to pick up some specialty carpet cleaner. The store has an impressive stock of high end vacuums, mops, espresso makers, and beautiful European gifts and items for the home. Everything seems to be of very high quality. I highly recommend paying them a visit if you need a repair or are replacing...

I have taken many vacuums to this shop to be repaired over the years. I purchased a stick cordless vac several years ago to use on my wood floors for quick cleanup from my golden retriever. Recently, the roller brush on my stick vac would stop after running about 3 seconds, so I googled to see what the issue might be. After trying several suggestions I had read about, it still wasn't working, so I decided to see if the shop might be able to fix it for me. When I called, the owner explained some technicalities about the stick vacuums but said to bring it in and worse case scenario, he could use a process of elimination to figure out if I might need to replace the head. He took it into the back, asked me if I had a "hairy thing" at home (he is a dog lover) to which I replied about my golden, and within 5 minutes, he came out with a tightly wound circular clump of hair and explained it was wrapped around something that was very hard to see. And, that fixed it! And true to form, he didn't charge me for the 5 minute service call. It's the reason this shop has such a great reputation! Highly...