Artistic Artifacts — Local services in Alexandria

we were greeted, by i'm assuming the owner, and was very nice to us. it's not really our style, but we looked around and found something to purchase. we were at the counter waiting for a couple of minutes while a short haired elderly woman (not the owner, a different woman) was behind the counter just ignoring us. i dont know what she was doing, but i think she was just messing with fabric on the counter, but how is it more important than helping a customer standing in front of you? when she finally acknowledged us she was short with us and barely wanted to finish our transaction. halfway through, the phone rang and she answered it, instead of putting them on hold she stayed on the phone with the other customer and we stood there for another couple of minutes because we didn't know if the transaction even went through or anything.we didn't get a receipt, a thank you, goodbye, nothing. we got frustrated and walked out (with our purchase, we paid in cash). a small business should focus more on the customers you have in front of you. this was August 14th during the mid atlantic shop hop, so it was far from where we live, but even if it wasnt, we would...

Great customer service from this local shop - highly recommend! I recently was looking to upgrade my sewing machine and emailed Artistic Artifacts. Judy got back to me immediately and we subsequently chatted on the phone. She was extremely helpful and patient and explained the different features of the machines I was considering. What struck me the most was how she did not try to push a pricier machine on me, she was just informative, helpful, and objective. This, along with a great price, was a deciding factor in choosing to buy a machine here. I had experienced a pushier salesperson the day prior at another dealer who was trying hard to get me to buy a machine out of my clearly stated price range. When I picked-up my machine they didn't have a couple of presser feet I was looking for and Judy ordered them and still honored the discount you get at the point of sale for a new machine. I have been so pleased with the service and professionalism here and am even happier knowing I'm supporting a local shop. They also carry an impressive selection of Bernina accessories and a wide array of quilting fabrics and notions. Very impressive...

I dropped in for quilting ideas and/or find a few sewing notions. Everyone was nice and spoke as I walked in the door. They allowed me space to wander around and soak in all of their offerings. In the background, I could hear them helping other customers and one was providing creative assistance. I roamed around a good hour as creative ideas kept popping in my mind. But whoooooaa, I had to temper my ideas as you can easily run a huge tab if you walk in without a plan or intent. Admittedly, I did walk away with some overpriced fat quarters but the feel of this chambray along with the color schematic will work perfectly on my current project -- let's say "priceless". Also I walked away with a few items that will help me restore my leather duffle bag. So, I walked in with quilting on the brain but ended up buying specific items to help me complete other projects. Now that I have visited here, I have good reasons to return for future projects. The bonus, for me, is the store is on the 32 Dash Bus route and a free ride...