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Where have all the sewing shops gone?

Author: Gary Walker  Date Posted:1 November 2018 

The headline reminds me of the song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone”. It’s a song with a message about change, the passage of time and how some things are inevitable. These days it’s not only sewing shops that are disappearing, many industries are being forced to change from their traditional retail practices. But surprisingly, it’s not all because online sales have taken over. In fact smart retailers have embraced online sales while still maintaining their traditional shop fronts. 

Changing customer habits, the fast fashion industry and perhaps less need to sew have certainly had an impact on our industry. The improved reliability and performance of modern computerized sewing machines have also resulted in less service revenue which was often the cornerstone of a business. Throw in the extra expense of rising retail rents, government red tape and compliance costs and it’s easy to see why many sewing machine stores have closed in recent years.

But what about support and inspiration?

Change cuts both ways and irrespective of the above, it doesn’t mean there are less options for support and help when you need it. In fact we think there is more education and support available now than ever before! You just need to be willing and prepared to use it and more importantly, understand how to access it. 
Video education is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. All you need is an internet connection, a tablet/iPad or a computer and a question that you want answered. The likelihood of quickly finding a good quality video on YouTube, clearly showing you how to perform a task or solve a problem is almost 100%.
Best of all, you can pause and replay a video as many times as you need to fully understand the process you’re struggling with — something you can’t do in a classroom. 

YOUTUBE IS YOUR FRIEND

I’m a huge advocate for YouTube. It’s so simple and totally free! If you have a tablet like a Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPad, just find the YouTube app and enter your question in the search bar. Alternatively on your computer, browse to www.youtube.com. You can find information on anything!

PERSONALISED VIDEO TUTORIALS

We are constantly uploading videos to YouTube. Sometimes we create and upload a video for a specific customer request like “Explain how to set presser foot height”. We then email the link for that video directly to the customer and they are watching it in no time. It’s like sitting in front of a machine in our showroom without you needing to leave your home.

PREFER TO TALK TO SOMEONE?

Just call our freecall number 1800 000 360 and we’ll help you. You would be surprised how often a two minute phone call to Echidna saves the day. Whatever the support question, we can help. We can even talk you through using YouTube..