I have been a customer of El Cajon Sew & Vac for about 20 years. My various Vikings over the years have received excellent maintenance and repairs with reasonable prices. They offer classes from time to time which are really informative and get your creative juices going. There's a wide selection of fabrics, trims, notions, patterns, books and sewing machine parts. Now that I'm settling into a new phase of my life, I strongly considering checking out their Viking Club and maybe even stop in for the monthly American Sewing Guild meeting. Jimmy and crew are knowledgeable, attentive and helpful--can't say enough good about the staff and the shop. read more

With Joan's closing, I've been looking for new places to buy fabric and thread! This place was fantastic. I didn't realize they had such a large selection. I was greeted by a nice woman named Nancy who showed me around. She was very helpful and knowledgeable. read more

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They fixed my vacuum no problem! I highly recommend this nice shop! Please give them business. They deserve it!

I have a Pfaff 1222e that I bought new around 1980. It has always served well and never been abused. I took it out of a closet after several years of non use, and it appeared to be seized up. I took it in to this place, and the service guy came out, took a brief look at the machine, said the problem was probably in the undercarriage, looked at me like he was sizing me up, then said it would be $400 just to get into it. I said no thanks, packed it up and took it home. It took me several months after that to find someone to work on it, but I did. Turned out the press fit bearing on the hook was filthy and sticky from old oil, just had to be taken out, cleaned, re-lubricated and re-installed. Works like a champ. cost $78.00. I like honest pay for honest work. my take is you won't get it at El Cajon Sew & Vac. read more

I love Mom and Pop shops and this is a good one. They are a jewel we need to protect, frequent, treasure and love. If you're buying a machine go here. You're going to get more help than from Walmart. They offer classes and repairs and a warm smile Great little place read more

I brought my Viking machine here for repair -- it was making some odd clunking noises. Jimmy was so helpful and explained to me what my problem could be and noticed the poor quality of previous maintenance I'd had done at another repair shop. He replaced an incorrect presser foot ankle that had been impacting the quality of my stitches. He also noticed the handle was backward -- it was difficult to carry the machine and now I know why. Ari cleaned and repaired my machine, and now it runs like new! A huge thank you to both Ari and Jimmy-- they were both so knowledgeable and friendly. I will come to this shop now for all my sewing machine maintenance needs. Highly recommended! read more

Great place for repair on my 2 dyson vacation. Beautiful Peggy at the front desk is so welcoming. Fixed my 2 vacs in 24 hours. Price and service is the best. read more

I inherited a HV Topaz from my mother who is terminally ill and on the east coast. I came into El Cajon Sew and Vac just looking for a part for my machine and was greeted by Iris and Jimmy. They are such great people. They went out of their way to help me get the part for my machine up and running and took time to answer all my questions. I can't recommend them highly enough. They are truly great humans and a wonder asset to this community. read more

this place was trying to charge me $195 to replace the feed dog a $10 part! that's ridiculous i'm better off buying the part and doing it my damn self read more

CHECK YOUR RECEIPT BEFORE LEAVING THE STORE!! I've been here a total of 2 times, once before the location change and once in the new location. And both times I was overcharged. It was under $10 overcharge each time, is that enough for me to bother going back in and asking for the money back ?probably not, but it's definitely enough for me to not go back there. Two out of two times is not great odds. read more

Thank Heaven for this store! Outstanding customer service with extremely knowledgeable staff. I greatly appreciated the time and attention they gave my small issue. Iris kindly assisted me on the phone and Jimmy was exceptionally helpful when I went in person. I was quite distraught when my beloved 54-year old Viking sewing machine experienced a part failure. I tried online services, several repair shops, and the Viking Husqvarna headquarters with no success. Fortunately, Jimmy was very familiar with the intricacies of the machine and provided the solution. Jimmy delivered an honest, straightforward, and truly outstanding customer experience. El Cajon Sew & Vac will be my first stop going forward! read more

Vacuum needed warranty repair and it was done within a week. The specifics of the repair were explained. They are open every day. Easy to get to. Parking is easy. During the pandemic they are only seeing customers by appointment. read more

Great people, helpful and honest! Highly recommend this business. I have used them for sewing machine repairs and cleaning as well as vacs

Brought my 9 year old Dyson here for belt and brush service. Jimmy helped me out with everything and conducted the service. My vacuum is now brand new and I couldn't be happier. They were extremely friendly and the price was fair. I will definitely be coming to them in the future. read more

I will never hesitate to take my sewing machine to El Cajon sew and vac. Jimmy is someone who takes the time to listen to the problems of your sewing machine and truly works to fix it correctly. read more

I have an older Kenmore vacuum that needed some new parts. I brought it to the store and Jimmy looked the vacuum over very carefully and figured out the parts I needed. Because of slow mail service the parts arrived later than anticipated. They were ordered in Feb 2021 and arrived Apr 2021. That was NOT the store's fault. Once the parts arrived Jimmy fixed my vacuum right away and it works perfectly and I was charged $30 less than what I was originally quoted! Jimmy and Iris are great people, friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this store and you will not be disappointed with the quality of service. read more

UPDATE: I was contacted by the owner and he kindly assisted me. I don't often write reviews and I am almost always easy to please. However, the experience I had walking into this shop asking for help was extremely unpleasant for me. The woman I spoke with was very abrupt and her tone was abrasive. I was extremely uncomfortable talking to her. I was smiling, speaking calmly, asking for help casually, and she just seemed full of tension. Please do not go to this shop. I honestly wish read more

I had expected that my very old sewing machine would need to be left for a couple of weeks before anyone even looked at it. Instead, I took it to the shop and left with it in good working order in less than half an hour. It needed a replacement part, but there was one in an old "parts" machine that did the trick. I will be telling everyone that this is the place to have any repair work done on your sewing machine! Thanks. read more

Absolute best customer service I have received in a LONG time! I have an older sewing machine that I wanted to make sure was in good working order before my mom, an avid sewer, came to visit - in two days. I reached out via Yelp and Jimmy responded right away and after a quick call, I was able to set up time to bring my machine in for a 'check up.' Jimmy spent time checking my machine and made sure it was in good working order - even sent me home with the test stitches so my mom would know what the machine could do. 100% would recommend and looking forward to bringing my machine back from a full service in the future. read more

I recently had my mothers sewing machine tension and bobbin winder fixed here. The machine seems to be working fine. It did take longer than I had expected but I really have no point of reference for this type of thing. It was several weeks. The people working there at drop off and pick up were very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

I brought in my Husqvarna Viking embroidery machine because the tension was just not right. These high end machines are supposed to adjust automatically but recently it just wasn't working. This shop was recommended because the guy is an "authorized repair/serviceman" for Husqvarna machines. I was told by the owner who does the actual repair that he was very busy, because he's the only guy in town who is authorized to work on these machines, and it might take 3 months to get my machine back. Well. It did take three months, several phone calls, and several hundred dollars, only to get it home and find the tension still doesn't work!!! Now here's where it gets even weirder. When I first brought in my machine, I asked him about stitch regulators for this particular model, and how much did they cost. He said they were "really expensive". So I asked again how much and he said, "around $500". Since I had researched the cost of buying a long arm machine, I felt that $500 for an add-on that would allow me to do the same type free-motion quilting would be a good investment to see if I liked quilting my own things. So I asked him to order one for me so it would be in when my machine was fixed. When I finally did get my machine back, he said he had a "rebuilt" stitch regulator that he'd sell me. He had my machine set up with this rebuilt stitch regulator, and showed me how to use it. Cost? $200. Wow, not bad. Except when I got it home, and hooked it up, I realized it has an intermittent short that causes the needle to speed up and not stop until I completely turn it off. So, sometimes it works fine, other times not so fine. A closer look at the whole gizmo, and I noticed that although he gave it to me in a Husqvarna box, the actual parts do not have that brand name on them anywhere. So I went on-line to see what they actually look like if I'd ordered a new one from Husqvarna, and to my surprise, they are actually $1200! (and yes, they do look slightly different). So, I'm confused: When I asked him to order me one, did he just not know what these things cost when he quoted me the $500? In truth, I'd have paid the $1200, because if you know anything about long arm machines, you know that you can't get one for that price anyway! Oh, and that original problem of the tension being off for regular sewing--still not working!! So I can't use that machine until I find a repair guy I can trust. I know I should give the guy a chance to make it right, but I'm not going to leave it with him for another 3 months. The lady that worked there, I think it's his wife, was a real sweetheart, and very helpful each and every time I stopped in. So I'm not happy to report my negative experience with her husband, except for what happened recently: At a sewing class, I shared the above experience, and four of the women there told me their stories of having to leave their machines and it taking months to get them back, having to pay too much, and not getting the original problem solved. I asked why they hadn't written a review about their experience on yelp: because it would have saved me a lot of headache and money. And they all said similar things: His wife was always so nice and helpful, they didn't want to say anything to hurt their business, they just wouldn't go there ever again and would never recommend him. So, I'm adding my voice: if you need anything other than a repair, they're very helpful and kind. read more

I've been a loyal customer of El Cajon Sew and Vac for several years now. I initially inherited a Viking Designer I from my aunt and took it to another shop for service because they were cheaper. Bad move. The service I received was minimal and didn't quilt tune up the machine to my liking. Later I took it to El Cajon Sew & Vac. At first I was leery of paying so much for a basic service, but let me tell you, Jimmy is well worth the extra few dollars for getting top notch service. Since this initial machine, I've purchased two more sewing/embroidery machines from them (Viking Designer SE and then Viking Designer Diamond Deluxe). I've taken them in for regular maintenance and have always been treated very very very well. If you are looking at purchasing a sewing machine, whether entry level or top of the line, the most important thing to consider is the after sale service. You get that in spades at El Cajon Sew & Vac. Jimmy and Sally are both very conscientious about taking care of their customers. There have been many times that I've needed a little extra help figuring out how to use these high end machines and both of them are always willing to take the time to walk me through the steps needed so I can go home and do it on my own. I love the sewing club that meets on the second Saturdays at their store. They have a wonderful instructor who demos a sewing technique and there is tons of show and tell from people like me. The people are friendly and always helpful and fun. Even if you haven't bought a machine from El Cajon Sew & Vac, you are welcome to attend the sewing clubs and classes that they offer. They start at 9:30 and run until just about noon. Shopping discounts are also offered on sewing club days if you've attended the demo presentation. I could write a novel about how wonderful the shop is and how great the staff is, but you really just need to come in for yourself to see what I mean. I promise, you won't be sorry. El Cajon Sew & Vac is the only sewing store that I recommend to my friends for any of their sewing or embroidery needs. I've been to other local sewing and quilting clubs, but none of them are as friendly or as welcoming as El Cajon Sew & Vac. They're terrific! read more

Quite pricey, above providing average customer service, and borderline rude. I took my machine in about a month ago and picked it up about two weeks later. I assume it is fixed but haven't tested it yet. I was not impressed with their customer service to say the least. Dropping it off the lady did a diagnostic on the machine while talking about it to the other two employees. The only time she addressed me was to give me the price. The other employee even thought she was confirming the price with them. She took a seat to look at the machine but never offered me one at the very large table with plenty of chairs even with me being visibly pregnant. That could have been overlooked - maybe she was new and focused on her job. But the second time I came in a different lady was cashing me out. She handed me a paper with lots of notes and told me to sign the bottom. When I took it and began to read she abruptly said "You can't read that, just sign the bottom." What?! Who asks for a signature while refusing to let them read. They also told me when I dropped off my sewing machine that if anything extra was needed they would call. Apparently not as there was another $5+ added and no phone call. In all, quite pricey, above providing average customer service, and borderline rude. read more

I will not go anywhere else! First of all, Jimmy and Sally (the owners), are the most trusting people I know. I bought my Husqvarna sewing machine years ago from them. The classes they provided were organized, thorough, and exciting, providing many crafting ideas. I have brought my machine into their store, thinking I had a problem, with NO CHARGE, if it was a quick resolution, or a show-and-tell. I trust them completely. read more

I brought my Kenmore vacuum in because the brush had stopped spinning. It still wouldn't work even after I pulled all the hair, etc off of the brush. I thought maybe a belt had broken, so I brought it in. Jimmy took one look at it, and reached down and pushed the 'overload protection reset' button. POOF! Fixed! I blushed and laughed at myself--who knew there was such a button on a vacuum?? Of course he wouldn't charge me a dime, even though 'the other guys' want $30 just to take a look. He has an encyclopedic (think Google) knowledge of vacuums and sewing machines. (My Mom always takes her sewing machine to him for servicing, and the service is always as good.) Another satisfied customer!! PS: I learned that my Kenmore doesn't even HAVE belts! Thanks Jimmy! read more

Iris is really friendly and knowledgeable and they have a huge selection of anything you could need for your sewing machine or vacuum. They also handle sales and repairs of the latest sewimg machine units. When you purchase a new machine they include classes so you can get up and running fast. Great store! read more

Took my daughter's old machine here because of the great Yelp reviews. The machine had been so frustrating, constantly breaking thread and jamming. Jimmy sat right down with it and checked everything out, and before long had it running smooth as silk. He checked adjustments I didn't even know were there, and eventually found the problem. No charge. Since I'm a beginner trying to do some light upholstery, he advised me on thread, needles, settings, and techniques. No charge. I don't want to give the impression that he does everything for free, because if the machine is bad enough that it has to "go in the back," it's a repair job, as would be expected. But he could have easily charged me for the half hour he spent with me, and he didn't. He knows the secret a lot of small businesses don't: getting paid in good will and good reviews pays off in the long run. I know I'll be back next time I need supplies. Thanks Jimmy and Gary! read more

I have been searching for a sewing machine for days...hours on the internet to only be more confused than before I started my search! After pulling a coupon from the Penny Saver, I went to the El Cajon Sew and Vac to look at the advertised machine. Peggy, who is VERY knowledgable about sewing machines showed me a different, reconditioned machine they received on trade in. For $20 more, I bought the reconditioned machine that retails for around $700. Before I even said that I wanted to buy the machine, Peggy spent about an hour with me showing me all the features on the machine. Well, she sold me on it! Upon purchase, she gave me a bunch of needles, a cover for the machine, 6 months of service, and a sewing class at no charge. In addtion, I received a 10% off coupon for all future purchases at any store. I spent a little more money than originally planned, but am very pleased with the service and machine I got at this store. Note: Go online and print the $20 off coupon for purchases of $70 or more. read more

El Cajon Sew & Vac is a great store! I am a retired man who is learning to use (and repair) an old Singer sewing machine for mending and Jimmy Moore (owner, with his wife) has been most generous of his time and knowledge in getting me started. He is an enthusiastic all-in-one teacher, mechanic and salesman. In the retail world these days one very seldom finds a store where anyone knows much about the products, and even less about using or repairing them. Well, this store is definitely the exception! The moment I walked in I knew I was in the right place. I did not bring my machine, but I needed some parts. Jimmy asked a few questions... " Is it a slant needle, does it look like this one" (he points; the store is filled with sewing machines, new and old) then he vanished along a narrow aisle and returned with the parts in hand (and my Singer was 40 years old). But that was not the end of it. He holds up a part..." when you put this in, be sure to loosen the hand wheel first, but don't drop the little screw down inside..." You get parts and expert advice. If a part or attachment does not fit, you can return it and try a different one. Of course they know how to sew as well. I do a lot of mending/alterations on jeans, but have to patch/darn the knees by hand because my machine can't get inside the leg. I asked if a "free arm" machine would work for this, and a nearby person (perhaps Jimmy's wife) said... "No! Just rip out part of the leg seam, mend the knee, then re-stitch the seam" Now why didn't I think of that? I am expert at repairing mechanical devices, and I can attest that Jimmy knows how to fix sewing machines, new and old. I infer that the is equally able with vacuum cleaners. He's good because he understands how they work.... you know... all those funny little pieces moving this way and that. Sadly, this kind of store is a vanishing breed in America. I will buy all my sewing needs here, and maybe some day another machine. Or take one of their sewing classes. Oh, something I forgot to say: I love this store! read more

This is the best sewing store EVER! My husband bought me a vintage featherweight from Jimmy and he got a great price! Then, later he purchased a Husqvarna Viking embroidery machine for me. (yes, I'm spoiled). Anyway I took the FREE classes that came with my Viking machine and the teaching staff were amazing, I learned so many new tips and tricks that my machine can do. Also, I went to one of their Viking Club Saturday morning events. It was so fun. A bunch of Viking owners show up and showcase their latest creations. The owners (Mr. And Mrs. Jimmy Moore) offer free coffee and pastries and have amazing raffles and giveaways. It goes on for a couple hours each month. And there's an optional class afterwards. The Moore's are awesome people and their store is great, the staff is great. They are low key but super knowledgeable and helpful. read more

Its a nice place, very clean and they have a very good working team. They always try to help you find the best deal you can get. They have a big selection of new sewing and vacuum machines, and even offer classes if you're new to this type of work. Very honest people and they honor what they say. And also good experience in fixing a lot of sewing machines and they have a lot of accessories for any project you may have. It's a good place to visit and do your business with. I'm very sure you'll like it. read more

I have had my Viking Designer1 serviced annually by Jimmy at this shop for years. He's a great technician. I've rarely has issues with my Viking but two days ago my fetcher broke near my bobbin when I was working on a rush sewing job -Jjimmy was able to replace the tiny but essential part while I waited - usually I must make an appointment for repairs. This is a big Shout Out to Jimmy for helping me out in pinch. He is the only repairman I trust with my used- everyday machine. I strongly recommend him for all service work. read more

Check prices online before you buy anything. They have a "No cash refunds" policy. You get store credit only.

Came in to get a vacuum and air purifiers. They have a good selection of vacuums in stock and weren't in a big hurry to push you out. They service them too. Nice people and no pressure. read more

Just took my Singer in to Jimmy. It was stuck in reverse. He fiddled with it fixed it immediately. Then checked it out for squeaks. Oiled it up and said, "nice to meet you. No charge!" You don't get treated like that anymore! read more

Jimmy is the best! My Pfaff, which I bought there, was in a bad mood so I took it in and he fixed it right up. He is very knowledgeable and I trust him completely when it comes to my machine. read more

Excellent service and help! Very fast turn around for my sewing machine repair!!!

Called in to get my industrial consew checked out, but they don't do industrial machines- but they knew who does and referred me over to them and saved me a million more phone calls around town. So I really appreciated the help read more

Amazing service! Came in for a quick fix on a singer machine and the owner was so kind and helpful. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. read more

Love this place! Customer service is awesome and the owners are genuine and honest people. Highly reccommend El Cajon Sew & Vac!