HASC Chicago -- Harlem Ave Sewing Center

i took my Singer Featherweight in for its yearly tune up mostly because the price here was very good-​$ 80 with a coupon for $ 10 off, so the final price was $ 70. Quite a difference from Linda Zs which is $ 149, although Linda Zs is about 3 miles away and this place is about 20. When I picked up the machine and brought it home I found that the tension was horribly wrong. I tried over and over again to fix it with no luck but also, the light was burned out. So, I went back to the store and they looked at the tension knob which appeared to be put together incorrectly. I’m not sure, but they said I should leave it to be refixed and they would also change the light bulb for me. Several days later they called that it was ready so I went down there and picked it up. Now it is my fault I didn’t look more carefully, but I’m a trusting soul so I assumed all was taken care of. It was the second time so I thought someone in charge would make an effort to be sure the customer was satisfied. Well, I’m not even sure about the tension as I did not have a chance to sew on it, but the light bulb was not changed. I was so frustrated that I just took it back to Linda Zs and they are repairing the light bulb socket that was somehow damaged during the time I dropped the machine off the second time and when it was returned to me. I guess the old adage «You get what you pay for» applies here. They are closing down in a few months, but I still would not recommend them.

My Singer went out of timing while doing some sewing recently and was beyond my expertise of repair. I took it to Harlem Sewing Center because it was the closest to Oak Park. The store is in an awkward location because traffic is so heavy near the intersection of Harlem and Irving Park. There is only parking on the south-​bound side of Harlem, but can be a bit precarious due to the high volume of traffic. It was better to park on the side street just south of the shop (W Byron St).
When you walk in the shop it is rather small. There is a counter near the front door and a workshop space in the back. There are a bunch of embroidery demo machines in the front and notions along the back wall. When I walked in there was no one to help me… so I just stood there for several minutes until someone came from the back. The service dropping off was ok. They didn’t provide any info on how the repair process works or provide an estimate until I prompted them with multiple questions. They called me when repairs were complete (3 business days).
When I went to pick up the customer service was much improved. There was a gentleman at the counter who immediately greeted me and was very friendly. The repairs for a general «tune-​up» totaled $ 80 for my Singer. My machine was cleaned up very well and works like new. I am very happy with the repairs and will use this shop again. I have not tried any classes or purchased a machine from them.

I was interested in purchasing a new machine after my Singer went. The salesman John helped me in asking very pointed questions about what kind of sewing/​quilting I was thinking I might do. After taking lots of time with me he had me test drive 3 – 4 machines that were very moderately priced. I asked about bigger machines and he was more than willing to let me test them; but told me that they were really more machine than what he thought I needed! He actually said I could accomplish what I was looking for, in addition to far more options, with a lower priced machine! How about that — a salesman who isn’t trying to oversell a customer!!! How refreshing! I selected a Brother Innov-​is 950D and am thrilled about what this baby can do! One more point. I purchased my machine last November (2012) They offer «get to know your machine» at no cost after you make a purchase. I live a distance away from them and after winter had past, I had some medical issues. Before I knew it, summer 2013 was ending! I got back onto my machine and found that some tension issue arose when trying to free motion quilt. Brought my machine in for adjustment. While chatting with John, I mentioned that I had never taken my «get to know your machine» class. I asked if I could take it now. He said usually it is offered early after purchase. But, he made arrangements for me to come in and I had the most comprehensive one on one tutorial by Christy that I could have ever imagined. I can’t say enough about how service oriented this store is for the customer. The tension issue I thought I had was due to the wrong presser foot being used by me. I live within 10 minutes from Linda Z’s in Arlington Heights, but chose to drive into the city to work with Harlem Ave. Sewing Center and their staff. It is well worth the trip for the personable, low pressure, excellent customer service I have gotten there. I hope they add more classes soon! A great shop with great service!

Well, my poor Brother took another nosedive fairly quickly after its latest repair, (where I was admonished to go find a better sewing machine by the local shop), so I looked for the closest Brother repair shop that also did sales and trade-​ins. «Closest» turned out to be basically Norridge but I was lucky that my boy was up for an adventure in the car.*
The place is bright with lots of demo machines around, and various crafts displayed that show what you can do with each machine. Ron listened to me as I explained what was going on with my machine, and he astutely asked if I was sewing heavy fabrics (which I totally was) and said that my type of machine was simply not cut out for that sort of thing. He took a piece of denim, folded it in half and then showed me two machines that were comparable to my guy. Both of them choked up when they hit the second layer of denim (and one was a Singer – which he tactfully declined to endorse).
He then directed me to the PC420PRW Limited Edition Project Runway model from Brother, and I was initially a little hesitant since it seemed like a gimmick that might totally suck. However, he said that this was the one they teach all their classes on, and proceeded to fold the piece of demo-​denim over THREE TIMES and the Runway guy barreled over it like it was just another day at work. He let me play with it, and I was impressed by its robotic stitch-​selecting action and how generally awesome it was. Think 1995 Chrysler vs 2012 Mercedes – yeah, it was pretty hot.
I was able to trade-​in my old guy against the price of the new one, and it came with a free class as well as a nice warranty and the peace of mind that they are an authorized Brother repair shop, should I need to have the baby attended to (I’ve christened him «Tim»). Ron recognized my address as he used to live in Logan Square a while ago. Small, awesome world filled with kickass robotic sewing machines!
*PS: Said adventure included patronizing a wine store that proudly proclaimed they had no sales tax on liquor (
). After some research via the smartphone we found it’s because Norridge chose not to tax liquor, unlike Chicago and Cook County. Now you know!

i’m a fan of both singer outlet locations (the other on irving and and cicero-​ish). my latest experience with this place was when i tried to take a class here recently and it didn’t work out. i’m assuming there was some mis-​communication between the instructor and whoever wrote the class description. but they handled it very professionally. everyone makes small mistakes and i really do judge a business by how they try to fix them. just for the record: the instructor was very sweet and knowledgeable and overall great teacher, and i’d still be inclined to sign up for a class here if one of interest showed up.
they’re also good with fixing machines. my roommate and i brought her old sewing machine here to get fixed and it only took a few days, cost around sixty dollars, and came with a six-​month warranty. I’ve also called several times with various questions about machines and sales and stuff and usually i think it’s the owner who answers the phone. he’s very willing to answer questions and talk over the phone which is helpful because the physical location is a long haul from my home. everyone else who works here is really nice and willing to help too.
hopefully they’ll expand their classes to some ones i’m interested in and i’ll be back here soon!

My Brother NX250 sewing machine suddenly broke — it was giving a «tangled» error message, but I myself could see nothing tangled. I took it to Harlem Sewing Center, as it is the closest «Brother-​certified» repair shop to where I live (Loop). I took it in on Friday afternoon, and got it back on Sunday — they put a rush order on it (for free), and indeed it was fast! It cost me around $ 80 for tune-​up and repair, and I got 6-​month warranty on it. Both salespeople were friendly and professional, and the machine works well. I just wish they were closer to the Loop, or at least easier to get to from the Interstate.

After living in the area on and off for 15 years I decided it was about time I visit the Sewing Center with my Singer (its about 30 years old, give or take). I went to the website and saw that I could get a free estimate on a repair. So I brought it in, to see if anything at all was wrong with it since we havent used it in years and from the moment I stepped in the store the woman was BEYOND disinterested and rude to both my mother and myself.
Apparently nothing was actually WRONG with the machine itself, which was a relief to know (although all she did was thread it and make one small line on a scrap of paper), but I was interested taking a couple of workshops regardless. Never in my life have I ever encountered someone who works in retail with an attitude as bad as the woman who works here. Her holier than though attitude completely turned me off from becoming a customer. She never once made eye contact with me nor my mother. Which could be for the best as Medusa would probably have turned us to stone.
My machine could have been in 40 pieces by the end of this visit and I would have went somewhere else to fix it. I will NOT be giving them my business solely because of the woman with the braided ponytail.
I’m still in disbelief.