Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Edwards.
Hi Mike, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story with House of Vac and Sew is really a story about rebuilding something with purpose, believing in the value of small business, and discovering that the greatest thing you can build isn’t a business—it’s a community.
House of Vac and Sew has been part of the Florence community for 61 years, and when I stepped in and began rebuilding the business, I knew I wasn’t just taking on a storefront. I was taking on a legacy. I wanted to honor what had come before while creating something that could continue to grow and serve our community for years to come.
From the beginning, my goal was never simply to sell vacuums and sewing machines. I wanted to create the kind of local business where people could walk through the door and know they mattered. A place where you could get something repaired instead of throwing it away. Where someone would take the time to find that one little part you couldn’t find anywhere else. Where you could bring in an old sewing machine that had belonged to your mother or grandmother and know that we would understand why it was important to you.
And somewhere along the way, our customers became family.
We’ve had customers come through our doors carrying decades of memories. We’ve celebrated birthdays and holidays with people who may not have had many others to celebrate with. We’ve helped people find machines that opened the door to a new hobby, repaired machines that held precious memories, and even found seemingly impossible parts that meant the world to someone simply because of the story behind them.
One customer recently traveled to us because her husband had an old floor polisher he loved. After they inherited the business, they had searched everywhere for the vacuum attachment pieces they needed. When she discovered that we had them, she was nearly moved to tears. She told me the whole story, called her husband right there from our counter, and shared how happy he was going to be. Moments like that remind me why I do what I do.
Those moments are my milestones.
Of course, there have been challenges. Rebuilding a small business takes faith, persistence, long hours, and a willingness to keep showing up even when things aren’t easy. But every challenge has taught me something, and every customer has given me another reason to keep going.
What makes me most proud today isn’t simply how much the business has grown. It’s the community that has grown around it.
We have customers who have been coming here for years, customers who bring their children and grandchildren, and customers who walk through our doors for the first time and quickly become part of our story. We’ve watched people learn to sew, create beautiful things, preserve family traditions, and find solutions to problems they thought couldn’t be solved.
That is what success looks like to me.
After 61 years, House of Vac and Sew is more than a business. It is a piece of our community’s history. And I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to help carry that history forward.
I believe there is something special about a small-town business where people know your name, where a handshake still means something, where you can look someone in the eye and say, “We’ll take care of you.”
In a world that can sometimes feel increasingly impersonal, I want House of Vac and Sew to remain a place where people feel seen, appreciated, and cared for.
Because at the end of the day, the machines can be repaired, the products can be sold, and the doors can be opened every morning—but the relationships are what truly last.
And if someone asks me what I’m most proud of building, my answer isn’t the business.
It’s the people.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road—and honestly, I don’t think any meaningful journey ever is.
Rebuilding a small, local business comes with challenges that people don’t always see from the outside. There have been financial pressures, long days, difficult decisions, unexpected repairs, changing customer needs, and plenty of moments when I’ve had to step back, take a breath, and figure out how to keep moving forward.
One of the biggest challenges has been navigating a world that is constantly changing while trying to preserve the things that make a small-town business special. Today, people can order almost anything with the click of a button. Big-box stores and online retailers can compete on price and convenience in ways that a small local business simply cannot.
But I’ve learned that we don’t have to compete by being the biggest. We compete by being personal.
We know our products. We know repairs. We know our customers. And when someone walks through our door with a problem, we try to find a solution rather than simply tell them to buy something new.
There have also been personal struggles that come with putting your heart into a business. When you care deeply about what you’re building, the difficult days can feel very personal. There have been times when I’ve questioned whether I was doing enough, whether I was making the right decisions, or whether all the hard work would eventually pay off.
But then a customer walks through the door.
Someone will tell us how much they appreciate us. Someone will bring in an old sewing machine that belonged to their mother. Someone will travel a long way because they remember that we helped them years ago. Someone will find a part they thought they would never find and leave with a smile.
And suddenly, I remember why we’re here.
The struggles have actually shaped the business into what it is today. They taught me to be resourceful, to listen, to adapt, and—most importantly—to never lose sight of the people we serve.
I’ve also learned that success doesn’t mean you never struggle. Sometimes success simply means you keep showing up.
You keep opening the doors. You keep answering the phone. You keep helping the next customer. You keep believing in what you’re building.
There have been plenty of bumps in the road, but I wouldn’t trade the journey. The difficult seasons have made the good moments sweeter, and they’ve made me appreciate our customers and this community even more.
Looking back, I realize that the struggles weren’t just obstacles in the story—they were part of what built the story.
And I think that’s true for any small business: you don’t build something lasting because the road is easy. You build it because you care enough to keep walking it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At House of Vac and Sew, we do a little bit of everything—and that’s one of the things that makes us special.
We are a full-service vacuum and sewing business. We sell vacuum cleaners and sewing machines, service and repair them, carry bags, belts, parts and accessories, and help customers find the right products for their particular needs. We work with everything from everyday household machines to older, hard-to-find models, and we take a lot of pride in being able to help when someone else has told a customer, “They don’t make that anymore.”
On the sewing side, we help people find machines that fit where they are in their sewing journey, whether they are brand new beginners or experienced sewists. We teach, troubleshoot, repair, and help people become more comfortable with their machines. There is something incredibly rewarding about watching someone go from saying, “I don’t think I can do this,” to walking out excited about what they are going to create.
On the vacuum side, we believe people deserve more than simply being handed a box and sent home. We take the time to understand what someone is cleaning, what their floors are like, whether they have pets, what their needs are, and what they can realistically afford. Then we help them find a machine that actually makes sense for their home.
But I think what we are really known for is service.
We are willing to take the time.
We are willing to look for the part.
We are willing to repair something that someone else might tell you to throw away.
And we are willing to listen to the story behind the machine.
Some of the most meaningful things we have done haven’t been our biggest sales. They’ve been the moments when we found an obscure attachment someone had searched for everywhere, brought an old family sewing machine back to life, or helped someone preserve something that had sentimental value far beyond its price tag.
That is what I am most proud of.
I’m proud that after 61 years, House of Vac and Sew is still a place where people can come in and get real, knowledgeable, personal service. I’m proud of the trust our customers have placed in us. And I’m especially proud of the community that has grown around this business.
What sets us apart is that we don’t look at a customer as a transaction.
We look at them as a person.
We still believe in knowing our customers by name, remembering what they bought, knowing the history of their machines, answering questions, and doing everything we can to help solve a problem. We have the experience to work with older machines and the willingness to keep learning as technology changes.
And we believe strongly in repairing and taking care of what people already own whenever it makes sense. There is value in keeping something useful out of a landfill, but there is also value in preserving the things that carry memories.
At the end of the day, we sell vacuums and sewing machines—but that really isn’t what we’re selling.
We’re selling knowledge, service, trust, and a relationship.
Our motto says it pretty simply: Better clean, better sewing, better service.
And that’s what I want every person who walks through our doors to experience.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If there is one thing I would want readers to know, it is that there is still something very special about a local, small-town business.
In a world where we can order almost anything with the click of a button, I hope we never lose the value of walking through a local business’s door, knowing someone by name, having a conversation, and knowing that the person on the other side of the counter genuinely cares about helping you.
House of Vac and Sew has been part of this community for 61 years, and I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of that story. But what makes those 61 years meaningful isn’t the number—it’s the people behind it. The generations of families who have walked through our doors, the stories they have shared, the machines they have trusted us with, and the relationships we have built along the way.
I’ve learned that sometimes the smallest things can mean the most. Finding a tiny part someone thought was impossible to find. Fixing a machine that belonged to a parent or grandparent. Teaching someone how to use their first sewing machine. Taking a few extra minutes to listen to someone who simply needed to be heard.
Those moments may not make headlines, but they are the moments that make a business matter.
I also want to encourage people who are thinking about starting something, rebuilding something, or simply trying to make it through a difficult season: don’t underestimate the power of continuing to show up. You don’t have to have everything figured out. You don’t have to be the biggest. You just have to care, keep learning, and keep moving forward.
There have been plenty of difficult days in my journey, but there have also been moments that have reminded me that the hard work is worth it.
And when I look around our shop and think about all the people who have become part of our story, I realize that I didn’t build this alone.
Our customers helped build it.
Our community helped build it.
Every person who walked through our doors, trusted us with something important, recommended us to a friend, or simply stopped by to say hello became part of the story.
That is the legacy I hope we continue to build—not just a successful business, but a place where people feel welcome, valued, and cared for.
Because businesses may come and go, products will change, and technology will continue to evolve.
But kindness, trust, craftsmanship, and community will never go out of style.
And as long as I have the privilege of opening those doors, that is what I hope House of Vac and Sew will continue to stand for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://houseofvac.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572331584243
