had my serger and sewing machine serviced - they did a great job - fresh start for kicking off my semi retirement status

I've put off adding this review but feel the need to warn everyone if you choose to take your machine in for maintenance. I took my five month old embroidery machine that I purchased at Allbrands, in on May 3rd due to the wheel no longer turning . I was told there were 2 machines in front of mine. Today is July 30th and I Still don't have my machine back. I have called numerous times, contacted Brother directly and feel so overlooked and neglected. I would definitely think twice about getting any type of service done here. read more

I was told it would cost over $300 to work on my 930 Bernina because it computerized. It is not! it is electronic and mechanical . The machine was manufactured in the. 80s . There were no computer machines back then. Needless to,say, I brought it back home and fixed it myself, All it needed was some more oiling. Obviously they didn't know about vintage machine or what electronic machine actually is. read more

I was an avid Sew Contempo customer back when Marsha owned and ran it. I LOVE going there! I bought my first Bernina from her and had her classes back in 1983; enjoyed them very much! Still have the Bernina; just recently purchased my 2nd one. I have since moved away from Houston and am sorry I don't shop there anymore. For those customers who had bad experiences, we never know what circumstances occurred before interaction. Give my best to Marsha! Emma Castillo read more

So happy! Very nice employees and Margie went beyond amazing customer service. Highly recommend!

I've taken my sewing machine here for tune-ups for years and was shocked at the dramatic price increase! $200 just to touch it. The minor repair and part were extra! Workmanship was good, but the price gouging was painful read more

Was very happy to see the precautions the staff were taking and thrilled with the assistance they gave me picking out my new machine. Can't wait to go in for a class read more

Very helpful and friendly staff. Every time I visit I am greeted and asked if I need help with anything.

I took my machine for routine service, I was a little surprised at the fee but the lady helping me was nice & applied a coupon for me. They said 2-3 wks for service, it was ready in 2 wks, thank you for that. The owner was extremely kind & helpful, she took time to answer all of my questions in detail. There's a limited selection of Tula Pink but she assured me she is expanding that and more was on the way. Look forward to visiting them again. read more

Unfortunately, this is one of the only places that sells Bernina. The staff fluctuates between being nice and being irritated with you. It all started when my wife purchased a Bernina from the fabric show at the GRB one day. We had to go pick it up at this place. We called to see when it would be in, they didn't know. We didn't get a call until it came in weeks later. Fine, I'll let that one go, but they should know how long it takes from order to ship to receive in store. We are supposed to get training from the store on the Bernina. This was included as part of the purchase. Nothing. It's been over 6 months. They won't call or tell us about the training. I have alerted Bernina customer support about this. I ordered suitcases for the Bernina on Black Friday since they were 50% off online directly from Bernina. They were meant to be a Christmas gift. Come December, I open a ticket with Bernina to ask where they are. They said they shipped them the next Monday and I should have already gotten a call from Sew Contempo to pick them up. Bernina forces all sales through a reseller, btw. I believe it is for tax reasons, but it is a pain. I call the store, they know nothing about the suitcases. Emails and phone calls are exchanged. To this day, I still do not have the suitcases and the store has not called me back. Sew Contempo seemed irritated that I ordered directly through Bernina to get them and told me it was my fault for doing so. No joke. I have given up and asked Bernina support to either fix this now or refund my money and my wife will bring back the sewing machine and get her money back. I cannot see how this place stays in business. read more

Today, at the end of the first day of the Houston Shop Hop I stopped by Allbrands (Sew Contempo) on Egret Bay for the first time. And I had a rude exchange with the manager on duty. I had called in advance of my stop to get direction since it was the first time I've been there and I had heard that they had fantastic fabric. My excitement soon diminished with the rude reception I received as I came in close to closing time. When you visit a store you expect to be greeted respectfully at the place where you expect to spend your money. I was not greeted respectfully, and was rudely rushed after I had chosen a bolt of fabric to cut from. Still, I purchased 1/2 yd from a bolt of fabric as it was a perfect color match and I had been looking for a match for a long time for my quilt project . Otherwise I would've walked out! Without her rude behavior, likely I could've purchased much more than the eight dollars I spent. Who needs to shop at a place where you feel unwelcome & not valued? Does she treat ALL customers that way? Why would the store manager behave that way to a 1st time customer in front of 2 employees? I didn't get her name but she was the manager on duty at the store at the date and time listed below. (As confirmed by the employee that checked me out at the register) (March 23, 2022 @ 6 PM CST) Employees acting in managerial capacities like this lady are bad for business! Paquita read more

My boyfriend took my brother sewing machine in to have the tension worked on for me since I was working and had a sewing project I needed to finish. My tension kept messing up and I could not get it adjusted correctly. My boyfriend told me they charged him $350 dollars to look at it!! I about came unglued!! Told him the machine only cost $400 dollars...WHY ARE THEY CHARGING YOU 350 BUCKS TO "LOOK AT IT"? He said he didn't know, he paid them and left the machine there to be fixed. Then he tells me..."it's gonna take them 3 weeks to fix it too" I about came unglued once again!! Ok..im thinking...maybe they have to order some parts or something. Idk!! THEN he was telling me that one of the sales people ( name begins with a M.... and ends with an E) tells him that "This machine is f..... up because they ( meaning me) are using metal bobbins and they should be using plastic bobbins". I asked him...did she really use the f bomb? He said..yep..she did. Well..I have always use metal bobbins in this machine and have completed many..many..many sewing projects with a metal bobbin and it was NEVER an issue!! 21/2 weeks pass and I hear NOTHING from these people. My boyfriend called them and they tell him..ohhh yes it's ready. I go the next day (today) and pick it up. I am greated at the door by this more than happy middle aged long gray haired lady, no name tag. I told her I was here to pick up my sewing machine. She goes to her box of cards behind the desk and is looking for my "ticket". She goes to the back, gets my machine and sets it on the counter in front of me. Then gets this irritated look on her face, goes back into the back and yells to (what I believe is the repair guy) "Hey...do you got Mrs. BANKS ticket?". She comes back to the front, hand me all my stuff and wants me to sign the ticket. SHE DIDNT ONCE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THEY FOUND, OR WHAT THEY DID TO MY MACHINE. So..I asked her. "Could you tell me what the problem was? Could you tell tell me what ya did to my machine that would cost $350 bucks?" "Did you have to order any parts?" She immediately coped an attitude with me. She said"Well. I didn't do anything to it, the repair guy did". I said could I talk to him? She walked back into the back of the shop and I could hear her say "Could you come talk to this lady? She wants to know what we did to her machine!" They both come out and I start asking questions. What did you find wrong? He said he found nothing wrong, that it just needed a good cleaning!! Said it had some dust fuzz caught between the tension wheels and needed to be cleaned out. Said he changed my needle...(Bless his heart...it didn't need to be changed) and looked at the belts and cleaned it. Non of that needed to be done, cause I did that myself. Then he proceeds to tell me "IF IT EVER DOES THAT AGAIN, JUST GET A CAN OF AIR AND BLOW THE DUST OUT OF IT". Needless to say, I wanted to tell him...you charged me $350 bucks to clean my machine and I could have bought a can of air for less than 5 bucks and fixed this myself? I'm sure it took him less than 1 hour to look at my machine and they charged me $350!! I am going to test it out right now...hopefully, the blowing of dust fixed the problem! MORAL OF THE STORY IS...DONT TAKE YOUR MACHINE HERE. 1. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. said they would call when it was finished...didn't! That lady dropping the f bomb! That lady flipping out when I questioned her what was done to my machine. 2. Really??? $350 bucks to blow the dust out of my machine and change a needle?? Seriously?? My machine better run like a well oiled machine, and be able to do the dishes and wash clothes for that price!! REDICULOUS!! DO NOT GO HERE!! I wouldn't even give this a 1 star...but had to put something on here to post the review. Update to review!!! Plugged in my machine only to find the needle did not move back and forth like it was supposed to. I took it right back into the store and sales clerk Margie met me at the door and said " Give it to me" I sat it on the counter and she took it to the back, then brought it to the side table. She tells me very sarcastically, it's just a setting, she reset the setting and I told her...She was being rude! She gave me my machine...and said to me aa I was walking out, store full of customers... I am not rude. I said yes you are. She asked why I said she was rude..I said because you are yelling at me in the store!!! She said no she wasn't. I turned around and backed my way out of the door and she said .."ok who's next apparently I am rude"! I then stopped and told her, now, your being sarcastic and rude!" Margie then asked the lady who was in line to be waited on...was I being rude?" The lady said YES!! UNBELIEVABLE!! I've emailed management. I doubt if I hear anything from them!! read more

I went in this store on just a passing by it and said hmm I'lll check it out. I was immediately greeted by a young lady (maybe they read the previous post on here and improved). Either way I went in with a specific item in mind and did not find it. So I looked around a bit. The shop seemed to be orderly and clean. There is a wide selection of fabrics & machines: sewing, quilting and embroidery. I did observe an older/ taller lady with salt and pepper hair at the register assisting another customer; when another employee asked her a question her demeanor changed. She immediately seemed agitated and bothered. I don't know that I would go back unless I was in the area again but that's only BC I have another store closer to where I live that meets my needs better. Totally worth going in if you're in the area. read more

Great fabric selection and super helpful staff. It's no Mood in Manhattan, but for the area, Sew Contempo is a fabulous find. I've never seen so many different batik choices under one roof. They have a nice machine selection, and even offer lessons and workshops. Be careful in this store, it's easy to walk out with armfuls of fabric and a much lighter wallet. read more

I'm a nurse and felt very comfortable with the precautions. My sales lady was very helpful and personable. I'll definitely be back.

I love the testing as you enter the store. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. They solved my thread problems which I have been dealing with for weeks. I wish the store was closer so I could take advantage of all they have to offer. read more

Friendly staff. This is not a large store so you get more personalized service. Large selection of cotton fabrics, not so many notions. When I was looking for mask making material and they still had interfacing, I was able to call ahead then just call from the front door where they handed me my merchandise. read more

They are a bit far away from me, but I spoke to someone on the phone who gave me a great price for the item I needed, and when I went to get it, everyone was very kind and pleasant. That has been my only time there, but I would make the drive again. read more

I have purchased 2 machines from this store. And my experience with the staff is... Well. Very similar to dealing with an individual with a multiple personality . You really never know what your going to get. I have two friends that have had horrible experiences there. And refuse to go back. 1 was several years ago. The other was last week. That is a sad situation because they both are willing to spend plenty of their money. My first experience. It was my hubby and I. He was purchasing me an embroidery machine. Our sales gal was wonderful. It came with 2 free classes to learn the machine. That's fantastic. My daughter came to the class with me. She was 8 at the time and had been taking weekly sewing classes for 2 years. At this point she sees better than I do. She sat very quietly and colored during the class. I was super impressed. At one point she needed to go potty. So I quietly got up and walked her to the bathroom. And if looks could have killed. The teachers daggers would have done their job. She kept eyeing my daughter. Needless to say. I refused to go back to the second class. Nothing was overtly said. But it was obvious this teacher did not want a child in her class. No matter how good. Again. I was very impressed with my little girl that day. Experience 2: my daughter and I were at the Houston international quilt festival. My daughter was 10. She got to meet Angela Wolf on Saturday. It was a fab experience for my daughter. All that evening my daughter said she wanted to buy that serger with her money. So we go back on Sunday. I had a great experience with the "AllBrand" staff. (Headquarter individuals). AllBrand owns "sew contempo." They promised me that since my daughter was spending her hard earned $300, that she would be the one taking the class. I would just be her guardian. The headquarters staff was super amazing and helpful. We decided to not take the course so I have no input about it. As far as AllBrand as a store. The headquarter staff is amazing. So if you buy a machine from Sew Contempo. Pls know that whatever issue you have, the headquarters staff will make it right. I am not affiliated with AllBrand in anyway. I just like the idea of having a sewing store with a dealer of good quality machines that's not 100 miles away. read more

As soon as I walked into Sew Contempo I was put off by the immediate rudeness of the staff. No one greeted me (even though they watched me walk in) and were very abrasive and curt whenever I asked them a question. They did not have a good selection of fabrics. I will not be returning strictly because of how rude the employees have consistently been. read more

Wonderful selection of unique, quality fabrics, and a great place to buy a machine. I got my Viking here a couple years ago. They have a very knowledagable staff and offer a free intro lesson with your machine purchase as well as a variety of other quilting and sewing classes. read more

Its a shame that such a nice location for a Fabric Emporium has to be tarnished by the rudeness of the manager and staff. I have purchased a Bernina sewing machine and serger at Sew Contempo and expect to be treated as a good customer. Trying to get a question answered regarding merchandise is frustrating since they do not even acknowledge your presence in the store let alone offer assistance. As a former Fabric Store Manager, I have witnessed the gross inaccuracy of their cutting staff. Don't they know they are cheating both the customer and their bottom line. They have nice, overpriced fabric and their array of supplies also meet the expensive category. I believe you get what you pay for, but not at the expense of wasted time and having to beg, borrow and kiss "A" to get "any" service. It isn't worth the aggravation of such unprofessionalism. There are amicable merchants that are not only appreciative of my business but always friendly and happy to assist In my creative endeavors. read more

The long time staff really knows what they're doing and will give you all the time you need to learn your new machine. True sewing professionals. read more

Had a sick Viking Sewing machine. Took it in for service. The tech, Jake, was amazing. Got machine out in one day! Now it is back up and running like a Viking should. Great friendly fast service. read more

I love this fabric and seeing store. They always have the cutest patterns and fabric. They are very helpful and attentive. My mother-in-law wants to come here every time she is in town. read more

The service guy is my hero!! My machine stopped working when I had 20 projects to do and he got me back up and running the same day. The staff at Sew Contempo is very nice and knowledgeable. Thankfully there was nothing major wrong with my machine. I will continue to use them and refer my friends. Thanks a million Sew Contempo for you dedication to your customers. read more

I had been to this store a couple of times before and found it to be satisfactory. I recently bout a new sewing machine there after mine died a sad death. The ad and the brochure listed things that came with the machine that I did not receive. When I called to check about them, I was told it must have been a misprint and I was not entitled to the items. I went by the shop to pick up the other items and was told the larger items were there waiting for me. When I told the clerk that I was surprised and that I thought I would have to go up the chain to get my items, I was told that they were going to make sure that the situation was made right. And they did. While past reviews are overall unflattering, I don't expect to be chased and flattered. I expect to have someone help me if I need it and I expect that what I buy is correctly represented. So far, all these requirements have been met. Additionally, they have a good selection of interesting fabrics and all the notions and tools I've ever gone in search of. read more

We purchased a HandiQuilter Avante from your store. We had all purchased machines over the years, we thought, Oh Yes, they will stand behind it. What a joke. SHARON told us that she would come one day to set it up, and then come back for a day of lessons. No, she set it up and then gave us an hours lesson. She is a very sorry representive for Handi Quilter and you store. This has been a total nightmare, dealing with this machine without any help. WHAT A SORRY COMPANY!! read more

Most of the staff were wonderful and very helpful. I'm a complete beginner and just needed a part for a machine my friend loaned me to see if sewing is something I would enjoy enough to buy all my own supplies. The lady checking me out asked what kind of machine it was and when I told her it was one of the cheaper Brother machines she commented that I won't be able to determine if I enjoy sewing with a machine like that. I am excited, and didn't really need this snide comment. However, everyone else in the store seemed wonderful. read more

After spending over $15,000. in that shop I finally contacted the owner about the current managers rudeness. Three friends attended a seminar there and prior to the event we purchased fabric. The store cut it incorrectly. Instead of of recutting and replacing their error they wanted to charge us again. Someone notified the owner about the situation and she called me. I explained what took place and also told her I had a problem with being told if I took my Brothers machine (a top of the line) in for servicing and repairs that it would be 6 to 8 weeks. That is outrageous to pay $8,000 for a machine and then not have use of it for that long. The owner told me since I sold items I was considered merchant and with that they had a 48 hr turn around. She told me to use her name if I had a problem with the staff regarding the repair time. I had no choice, but to use her name because staff was not happy with that timing. They finally after using her name agreed, but then they charged me extra "for a rush job." Come to find out the machine was not repaired and did not work properly. I took it back and the tech guy told me he would have it done in 48 hrs. I thanked him and when I returned in 48 hrs the manager of the store was rude, nasty and said it isn't done and then she added in a very nasty tone of voice..."if you don't like it just go back there and get it." I contained my anger and didn't say a word just left the store. By the time I got home the tech guy called me and said he had no clue what was wrong and he would call Brothers on Monday. Late Monday I called him to see what Brothers said and I was told "they hadn't returned his call." I asked him for Brothers number so I could follow up myself and I was told I wasn't allowed to talk to them. Interesting they want me to write a check for $9,000., but I am not allowed to talk to the company about problems with my machine?? I was told by tech guy there would be no charge since everything was under warranty. Then I get another RUDE call from the manager saying it would cost me $60. or she wouldn't send the machine to Brothers for repairs. By this time my patience was exhausted. At the same time I was also looking at buying another machine from their shop that cost $3,200.00. After receiving nothing but rudeness from the store manager I went to Sew Contempo's competition Fabrics Etcetera and purchased the $3,200. machine. I wrote to the owner of Sew Contempo owner Terry Garvey and told her about the rudeness and lack of customer service. She called me and said that her store manager just had a "personality clash" with me. I told her I wasn't interested in marrying her store manager all I expected was a warm welcome to a store I had spent thousands of dollars in with an "I care attitude" and a willingness to resolve a product problem and it would have been appropriate if she showed a little appreciation for a customer that helped assure her a paycheck and a job. Since that episode I can't tell you the number of people that are no longer their customers because of the same type of treatment. read more