Sewing Machine Store Closed Mondays in Long Beach: SewVac

SewVac Ltd, at 1762 Clark Ave on the corner of Atherton Street, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and closed Sunday and Monday. For a sewing machine store near me search anywhere in Long Beach, Lakewood or Signal Hill, it is the neighborhood dealer for Bernina and Janome machines, and it also sells quilting machines, cabinets, fabric, notions, vacuums and parts under one roof, with sales, service and classes handled by the same staff.

Owner Scott Noble grew up in Long Beach, attended local schools, earned a degree in radio, telecommunications and film at San Diego State, and started in retail at Singer before opening his own business. His about page calls it an over 36 year success story and quotes his philosophy that running a business while helping people is about the best way to spend a life. He credits his staff as the real skill, and says the crew has fun in the store every day.

A profile in the local Signal Tribune describes the early days: an 800-square-foot space stocked with Bernina and Elna sewing machines alongside Royal, Eureka and Sanitaire vacuums. The store later grew into its current corner at Clark and Atherton. Nextdoor lists the business as serving Long Beach since 1979 and shows a Neighborhood Favorite award in 2025, and the shop's blog notes it has won its category in the Press-Telegram Readers' Choice awards for many consecutive years.

The banner across the top of the website sums up the stock: sewing and quilting machines, cabinets, fabric, notions, vacuums and parts. The Signal Tribune profile names Janome and Bernina as the sewing brands, with touch-screen models at the top end, basic models for beginners and small novelty machines for children. On the vacuum side it lists Miele and Riccar. Sewing cabinets and desks round out the floor, which matters if you are setting up a dedicated sewing room.

The Bernina connection runs deep. The blog promotes Bernina workbooks, embroidery hoops, embroidery software and presser feet, and walks readers through specialty feet such as the Echo Quilting Foot #44C, which handles thread painting, shadow work, cutwork and free-motion quilting with a single foot. Ask to see the foot on a floor machine before buying. A five-minute demo of free-motion work tells you more about whether a machine suits your quilting than any spec sheet.

Arrive with a plan for what you sew. A quilter needs throat space and a good walking or dual-feed system, a garment sewist needs reliable buttonholes and a range of feet, and an embroidery fan needs hoop size and software support. Tell the staff which of those describes you, and ask them to set up the same seam on a Janome and a Bernina so you can compare stitch quality, noise and how each handles a thick seam. The Signal Tribune profile notes that basic models are priced competitively for beginning sewists, so a first-timer does not have to start with a touch-screen flagship.

Bring your fabric and your old machine if you plan to trade up. Because the store services what it sells, it is worth asking how often a new machine should come back for a cleaning and what the shop's turnaround is like for service. Skip the urge to buy every accessory on day one. Choose one specialty foot tied to a real project, learn it well, and return for the next foot when a second project calls for it.

Unlike many machine dealers, SewVac sells fabric, so a beginner can leave with a machine, a quilting cotton bundle, thread, needles and a rotary cutter on the same visit. The notions wall is useful for small fixes, such as a replacement bobbin case, a needle threader or a new set of machine needles. Bring the old part or the model number, because bobbins and feet that look alike often differ between brands and between machine series.

Service covers both sewing machines and vacuums, which is handy for households that own an older vacuum as well as a sewing machine. For repair drop-offs, pack the machine with its foot pedal, power cord and bobbin case, and pin a scrap of fabric to it that shows the fault, such as skipped stitches or a nest of thread underneath. That one scrap saves the technician time and helps you get a clear estimate.

The shop sits in east Long Beach, a few minutes from California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach Airport. El Dorado Park, one of the city's largest green spaces, is a short drive east, which makes a good place for a walk while you think over a big purchase.

If you need an industrial machine rather than a home model, the specialist is ABC Sewing Machine on South Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. If you prefer Baby Lock or Husqvarna Viking, Tanner's in Westchester carries those brands. For Bernina and Janome buyers in the Long Beach area, though, SewVac is the closest full-service dealer with fabric and classes in the same room.

SewVac Ltd, 1762 Clark Ave, Long Beach, CA 90815, on the corner of Clark and Atherton. Store hours shown on the website banner are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, closed Sunday and Monday, and the same hours appear on the business's Nextdoor page. Because the store is closed Monday, plan a repair drop-off for Tuesday through Saturday, and leave enough time before the 5pm close for a demo.

Classes are part of the store's sales, service and classes model. Ask at the counter which beginner and quilting sessions are coming up, and whether new machine owners get a guided session on their purchase. Keep your receipt, the machine's serial number and a note of any service dates together, because the same counter will handle your future tune-ups and parts orders.