Sew Much More

Category:	Sewing Shop
Address:	3010 W Anderson Ln, Austin, TX 78757, USA
Phone:	+1 512-452-3166
Site:	sewaustin.com
Rating:	3.6
Working:	10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–5PM Closed

Location

Photos 43

Reviews 5

Katie Dickinson-Varner

Ive had two experiences with this store and each time was extremely disappointed in the customer service. Heres what happened the first time I came into the store (Fall 2013): Being about 6 months pregnant, I asked first whether they had a restroom. The employee said no, then, I guess when she figured out I was actually trying to shop there, "remembered" that they did have a restroom. I had come into the store with a question about threading my Babylock Imagine for the blind hem foot. First they told me that my serger didnt do that function, then when I showed them my instruction manual, they attempted to help me figure out the threading. Unfortunately, they couldnt figure out the instructions and just kept asking me why I would want to use that foot anyway when the Berninas can do a blind hem. After trying for about 30 minutes to figure out the threading instructions, they told me they couldnt help me anymore and Laura let me know that had I come in earlier, they wouldnt have been able to help me at all. Im now in the market for a coverstitch machine, so I just called Sew Much More to inquire about the price for the Babylock BLCS. Laura told me that she couldnt give price quotes on the phone. I think thats a terrible policy! They are only open from 10-6 on weekdays and 10-5 on Saturdays. Austin has terrible traffic. I work full time and I have a two-month old. Im not going to drive up to their location just to get a price quote. Babylock - please consider finding a different distributor! Employees at Sew Much More cant apply the instruction manual to the machines, are downright rude in person, and have inflexible quoting policies. I will never shop here again. UPDATE: I recently had a conversation with the new manager regarding my experiences with the store. She was professional and pleasant and offered to make up for my negative experiences. I suggest that if you do shop here and walk away unsatisfied, contact them about your concerns.

A Private User

Short version: Not a fan. Long version: Ive been in here twice now, and both experiences have been darkly amusing. The first time, I was wearing my nice work clothes. It was akin to being pounced on at a car dealership. The shop was very busy, but I had the full attention of a sales rep for like 30 minutes. I was looking at a reasonable little Elna for my first serger. Ive borrowed friends machines, so I pretty much knew what I needed. I kept trying to steer the conversation to the basic machines, but by the end I was being pushed to ever-higher models, quoted above $3000, and being told Id need features I clearly said I wasnt interested in/didnt use. (And honestly, being repeatedly told how hard it is to thread all sergers that arent a BabyLock got irritating. Its not that bad. Honest. You can do it.) I finally smiled and nodded, since it didnt seem to matter what I said, and left. The second time, I was in a rush and just needed some thread. I was wearing casual clothes, and this was the nearest place to my house. I think there was one other customer, and probably four sales reps. I spent about 20 minutes searching for the thread I wanted, since none of them would make eye contact with me. Eventually, I gave up and drove to JoAnns. Which is pretty bad, cause JoAnns drives me up the wall. Overall, Im not terribly impressed. The machine selection seems acceptable, the notions section isnt bad. Thread and fabric variety are so-so. But you really cant win with the customer service. Its like Mean Girls meets a used car lot. I seriously wanted to buy local, but my serger is gonna get ordered from the internets unless I can find a shop with nicer people.

Austin Texan

I wanted a sewing machine. There are projects and repairs I have in mind. I did go to other stores and checked reviews online. I was confused about what to buy. The best move was going to Sew Much More. I liked this store because of the quality machines they sell, and the staff. I could tell the Baby Lock machines are better quality than the light weight (mostly plastic) Singer machines I saw elsewhere. Valuable help from Laura and Julie: Laura took a lot of time to show me various choices. She was helpful, patient, and worked with me for almost an hour. I bought a Baby Lock Rachel. Its a more expensive than planned. I feel great about the purchase. Laura gave me a mini lesson before leaving the store, and allowed me some time to practice before going home. Because of that, I was able to quickly set up my new machine. I repaired the straps on a vinyl carrying case that afternoon. I had an appointment with Julie for my free lesson. The other person buying the same machine had to cancel. It ended up being a private tutoring session for an hour. I have some great sewing samples to keep (created with my machine). Julie wrote the information about the machine settings on the fabric, with permanent marker next to each stitch, including the width and length. That is a great reference. There is free service on the machine for two years. This is a great store to work with. The machines and staff make this store better than the rest.

Tadashi Andrews

This shop is very nice. Lots of things to see and look at. I spend 25 mins looking at things and didnt see it all... But, this is also the problem. With the 6 ladies working, only one was working the machine sales section. It was very awkward and uncomfortable when I walked in as I was being passed from one gal to the next to the next. All right in front of me. The one that was actually working the area didnt seem to want to be of help. She was currently working with an older couple so I get that but she looked at me(36 year old male) and just didnt seem too enthusiastic to get to me. So I walked around for 25 mins waiting. During this time, I pulled out the phone and just starting Googling machines and average prices and got probably a better experience that way. When I asked a gal what their price for a machine was she said no she didnt know. Didnt say let me check, lets find out, nope just didnt know Im new here. Then told me the other lady would be done soon. I looked over and she was just talking stories with the couple. Thats fine, thats a good sales person. But when there is only one and there is more than one customer in the store, train the others on how to find out price of your products... Oh well. Looks like my money will be spent elsewhere. I really was looking forward to buying a Bernina here. Great shop, poor treatment if you are a younger looking male shopper.

Karin C

I brought my Babylock embroidery machine here for service, after my local shop closed. They were most helpful and professional with a machine that wasnt under warranty and they hadnt sold. Since I was coming from another town, they blocked out time for the tech to work solely on my machine so that I could wait for repairs & service to be completed, and return home with the machine and not have to make another trip back to the store for pickup. As it turns out, the tech worked on it all day and it still wasnt fully serviced, so I ended up having to return anyway. During the meantime, tho, Laura took the time to show me about 4 other machines, and she was knowledgeable about them all. I ended up buying a new one, and I was able to take it home that day, so it was ok that my original machine had to stay. Subsequently, I also purchased a new cabinet (to fit the new machine) and Laura had the guys pack it up beautifully so that it made the long trip home perfectly safe and with NO scratches or damage. As it turns out, my original machine was still giving me some trouble, so they were very agreeable about taking it back to run some more tests and diagnostics on it. They are very customer-focused and service-oriented. I feel totally at ease with them & their store policies.