This place is a gem! Mary Lynn, the owner, is fantastic. She does it all. She has expert knowledge and will sell you what you need rather than what she has in stock or what offers her the highest profit margin. She is extraordinarily customer and service oriented. I've bought several machines from Howell's. The purchase experience was fantastic, and Mary Lynn delivered the machines to my house. She has given me lessons on the machines that I've purchased. This is a perfect example of a customer-focused small business. I live in Auburn, CA. There is no reason for me to shop any place else for my sewing/quilting needs. Try Howell's. You won't be disappointed! read more

I am not a customer of Howell's. I have only used the other vacuum repair shop. I feel though that I must comment. I see so many negative comments that I would never try to get something repaired at Howell's. Gosh folks....Why don't you clean up your act? It only takes a little bit of politeness to make a ton of difference. I received the same kind of treatment at the local locksmith and I have not been back. I call a locksmith from Sacramento to re-key or replace locks that I can't manage myself. I hate doing that but if local service can't be had properly then I will pay the freight to have it brought in from somewhere else....just saying. read more

Wish I could gve negative stars.....I called to ask questions regarding my sewing machine. Asked what the cost would be to look at it, just an estimate. The woman was such a rude persontelling me "Depends on how long it is in the store". So because she was a horrible person to speak with this place will never get my business.....Don't know how they stay in business!,,, read more

The store has changed hands, location, and service. For over 15 years we've gone to Howell's, and are deeply saddened by the changes that have taken place. The service is not good. When I told the repair man he left broken pieces of plastic as large as the palm of my hand in the motor, the tech said "ok". That's it, just "ok" How is that service? Simple acceptance of a problem, followed by "those pieces get up in there". If the tech knows this is a common problem, how about looking for the pieces? The vacuum wasn't working after the "repair" and my husband removed the broken parts. As a result, my husband does not have confidence in Howell's repair service. The owner, MaryLynn Matthews, replied that "I hope your husband doesn't lose confidence with you when you make a mistake." Ms Matthews couldn't understand how her comment was inappropriate. I'm not sure how being defensive can help solve a problem. I do know that I can avoid future problems by taking my business somewhere else. If you want professional customer service try the repair shop in Nevada City. read more

My wonderful husband bought me the most awsome sewing machine this year from Howells Sewing Center. It is a Janome 7700. What a wonderful surprise to find it under the Christmas tree. The people in the store are very nice and could not have been more helpful. MaryLynn showed him all the latest machines and listened to his explanation of the type of sewing I like to do. He told her all about my love of quilting and the clothes I like to make for my grandchildren. My sewing machine came with everything I needed to start quilting. It has a large storage compartment for all the feet I needed and had a nice acrylic table too. He signed me up for my owners training class and Jean the instructor walked me through each one of the feet and even showed us how to clean our machines and take care of them. My machine has all kinds of beautiful stitches to decorate with. It was a great class. I am looking forward to my next class to learn how the special computerized features work. I am not new to sewing but these are special features that I am looking forward to learning more about. They have many sewing classes and quilting classes that I am looking forward to being involved in. What a great experience this has been for me. I can't thank him enough or the wonderful people that I have met in the store. They have a great selection of fabric and supplies for sewing so I was able to get the things I need for my next class. read more

Mary Lynn did a masterful job machine quilting my latest hand applique quilt. I am so proud of the completed project. Thank you MaryLynn. read more

Howell's Sewing & Vacuum - Fabric Stores Near Me - Auburn, California

My experience with this business and Marylynn was one of the most horrible experiences I've ever encountered in my life! I would give 0 stars if I could. I lost $65+ that I couldn't afford to "fix" my old vacuum. When I got it home it still doesn't work. They say one thing then do another. They talked me into buying a new filter I didn't need & couldn't afford! The original filter was fine & the washable type (my problem was w/the on/off switch) I'm a cancer survivor, have a disabled child & am not doing well. I explained to Marylynn my circumstances and placed multiple calls to both her & her technician Dave. I called FOUR times w/in 5 minutes...LITERALLY...of leaving her store and asked them to save & return to me my original filter (my property) so I'd have 2. She had ALREADY forgotten who I was!!! They NEVER remembered who I was. When I came back to pick up my vacuum only 1 week later, AGAIN, she had no idea whatsoever who I was! I then asked where my original filter was & she said "oh. we threw it away. We didn't know you wanted it." Remember folks, I had called FOUR times w/in 5 minutes of dropping off my vacuum (my 23 yo son is my witness) & kindly gave instructions to please return my original reusable filter (my property)! She then proceeded to argue w/me and reluctantly said she would look for it & call me. I NEVER GOT A RETURN CALL! When I called her 3 days later SHE DID NOT REMEMBER WHO I WAS AGAIN! So...in summary...I'm out $65+ for a new part I did not need, had my property stolen from me and came home with a vacuum that still doesn't work from a business which was incapable of keeping proper records & incapable of remembering who I was! PL don't give your hard earned money to support this incompetent business! I hope this saves someone from going through the grief I went through! read more

Oh what a mistake I made taking my daughter's long arm machine to Howells for repair! My daughter bought it there and figured they would be best to repair this machine. I called and was told they would be able to have it back in two weeks. I live in the Sacramento area but drove up there right away to drop it off. I was not told that their tech only works on weekends. Otherwise I would have walked back out. I also had to put a $50 deposit down. Amazing since they had our $10,000 sewing machine. I waited two weeks and had not heard from them as to the condition, cost or time I could pick it up. She then told me that they had to work with the company and they are only open during the week and her tech only works on weekends. Rudely she said she would call me when it was ready. I waited another week. Rudely again, "No, it is not ready. We will call you." After calling her every Monday for several weeks, I was told they got it running but it would not sew. She also told me the back handles were broken. I told her they were not broken when I took it in there. She needed to order a new motor. I asked why if you have it running! She explained in a sour tone that it needed a new motor and to order it, I had to pay up front. So I gave her my credit card number and she charged me $450 for a new motor. She said it should be ready by the end of the week or first of the next week. I called the next Monday. No machine yet. They hadn't got the part yet. Two weeks more and I called her. Her response was, "I was just going to call you. We have it fixed." Sure, you were just going to call me. I asked how much it was all going to cost. She had originally stated it would be around $1,000, which included the cost of the motor. She did not know how much. I asked her to figure it out and call me back. I got a call back in 10 minutes and it was $1,140, well over the agreed upon quote but no call to get permission to go higher. We went up that afternoon to pick it up. She helped us get it into our car. She stated that being a small shop, she doesn't have the diagnostic tools to determine what's wrong with something. They just have to try different things until they come up with the right fix. Unbelievable. I will NEVER take this machine nor any of my regular sewing machines back to her. read more

My 2 year old Hoover Cyclonic self-destructed-the broken part wasn't even listed in the Parts List in my Owner Manual. Brought it to Howell's and they immediately called the magic parts guy (whoever that is) and identified the right part and ordered it shipped right away. Promised it would be ready within the week and it was! Super happy, as it's hard to keep up with the cat and dog hair from our rowdy pets (on beige Berber no less!). read more

I love Howell's Sew and Vac! I bought a sewing machine there which I adore. I got it for a great price, too. The staff is always ready to help me with any sewing or vacuum problems I might have. There are some fabulous quilting or sewing machines and vacuums that are extremely well-priced. You better check Howell's before you head out for some discount super store. What you buy there is what you read on the box. You don't get the quality and friendly service, that you would get at Howell's. It's always nice to have a store like this where the staff really understand your needs. Need some unique thread, material or a fun filled class........come to Howell's!! Great store, product, service and people!!! read more

In reading some of the reviews I shouldn't be surprised by my experience. Recently brought Electrolux tank vacuum in for repair. The fix took about 3 weeks and was around $150 which was fine, but when I went to pick up I noticed that it wasn't assembled correctly as there were gaps in the end panels. Mentioned it to the lady at the counter who seemed disinterested. Took it home and vacuum fell apart but was still operational enough to limp by. Took the vacuum back to Howells and they were polite and said they'd have their guy fix it. When I came back to pick it up I was told not to drop it again. Lady at front counter was basically calling me a liar and that I had dropped to cause the thing to fall apart. I told her I had mentioned that it didn't look right when I initially came to store for pick up. She continued on with her insinuations that I had broken it by pointing out that there was debris in the bag which proved that I used it then dropped it. She went on to build her case by saying that it would have fallen apart when they handed it to me on initial pick up, so I must have dropped it later on to cause damage. Needless to say I will not be going back there again. Was trying to give local business a chance but don't need this kind of headache to deal with. read more

I won't go into details regarding my 2 month ordeal about trying to get my sewing machine fixed because it sounds sooooo much like the negative reviews already posted here. I want to say though that if I could give negative stars they would be -10. How this store stays in business is beyond me. I have never in my life walked into a store and been so rudely treated. The few times I was in the store there were never any other customers yet the owner or manager or whoever she is acted like she was too busy to even acknowledge me. After the fiasco regarding my sewing machine I drive right past Howell's all the way to Roseville to Meissner's where people actually act like they are happy I'm a customer. I see there is a note here on this review page that says I can edit or delete it later but I can't see that ever happening unless the store changes hands and gets a repair person who actually knows how to repair a sewing machine. read more