A-1 Vacuum & Sewing

After 50 years of hand quilting, my hands will just no longer allow it. Upon recommendation for several «total strangers» at 2 different fabric stores I thought I would stop by A1, and just check out a couple machines. I left that day with my very first brand new sewing machine, an Elna, because I knew they were good. While talking to Peter and realizing how far behind the times my 50+ year old Elna way, he also showed me the Janome 1500, it was very overwhelming, but nice to know I could trade in the new Elna I just bought at anytime to upgrade to the Janome. I got the new Elna home, used it over the weekend, loved it and was amazed at everything it could do. After 3 days I thought, well if this Elna can do all that, what can the Janome Memory Craft 1500 do? I returned to the store, (I took the Elna just in case) … and left with the Janome. Everyone in the store is so knowledgeable on all the machines. The classes are a huge plus. I would and I have recommend A1 Vacuum & Sewing to several of my friends and family. If you haven’t been there, you are really missing out not only on Sewing Machines, but the selection of Vacuums and repair service they offer is top of the line.

Love going to this store. Always helpful and very knowledgeable people. Will continue to go
there for all my vacuum cleaner issues.

Super awesome place, very friendly and knowledgeable. I will definitely continue to do business there.

These guys are the best. I came in wanting a new sewing pedal, and being in the store reminded me that my vacuum recently bit the dust. So why not kill two birds with one stone?
When I walked in, I was greeted immediately by one of the owners (it’s a husband/​wife duo). She got me my sewing pedal in about 2 minutes and even tested it on my machine to make sure it worked. Then I told her I was interested in getting a new vacuum, but explained I couldn’t stay because my dog was in the car. (Don’t worry y’all — was a 60 degree day and I left the windows wide open!) After I mentioned my dog, she got really excited and asked if I would bring my dog in so she could meet him! They were totally cool with him hanging in the store with me and she kept him very entertained. Adorable.
Then her husband helped me pick out a vacuum. He is very patient, attentive, and I don’t get any icky salesman vibes at all. Just a nice dude genuinely wanting to help me find the best vacuum for my needs.
I didn’t want to spend too much on a vacuum, so I ended up leaving with a used 2012 vacuum that was $ 1200 when bought brand new. He had tested it and made all repairs necessary and I tried it out in the store. The thing had a broken accessory holder, but who cares? But since the vacuum was used, I asked if I could bring it back if I felt it wasn’t up to snuff. He said absolutely, within 90 days. Then he quickly corrected himself with, «You know what? A year. I think you’re going to love it, so I’m not worried. You have a year to bring it back.» Uh… That’s crazy awesome. Guess what I paid? $ 200. (So good.) I’ve used the thing twice now, and it’s the best vacuum I’ve ever owned for sure.
Upon checkout, he went to the back and got me a free box of replacement bags for the vacuum. He didn’t have to do that at all. .. the purchase had already been secured. Again, great confirmation that he isn’t just a salesman. He actually cares.
In summary, this store is owned by a really nice husband/​wife. She handles the sewing part and he handles the vacuum part. They’re both clearly experts in their field and are honest, hardworking folks. Who knew I’d love hanging out in a vacuum/​sewing store so darn much?

Travelled to Reno to look into purchasing a new embroidery/​sewing machine. What a treat to walk into a store with friendly, knowledgeable staff. Not only were they more than happy to show me the machines, they also listened to what I was looking for and was able to get me the machine I wanted. I look forward to continued business.

Peter is a fast talking salesman. My suction had slowed down on my house vac. He told me he could hear the bearings going out in the motor and it would cost as much to repair as to buy a new one. He installed the new one which got the same amount of suction. It wasn’t my vacuum at all. It was a pipe under the house that had come undone. It cost me $ 1200 for a new vacuum I didn’t even need. What a scam artist!!! Watch out for this guy.

Over the past year we have purchased 3 very high end top of the line sewing machines from Peter. I am always amazed at what great deals he gives, his service is fantastic, and throws In many extras. He is incredibly honest and a pleasure to deal with. If you are in the market for a sewing machine, no matter how fancy, you should certainly go and see Peter!!!

These are the nicest people to do business with! I brought my serger in to have the knife replaced and a nice man found a replacement and even installed it ! Had lots of nicer sewing machines and were more than happy to help me. I will be coming back!

My original review is not showing. Please forgive me if what I write is a duplicate. I had such a great experience buying a vacuum from Peter that I want to make sure people understand my experience.
Before I found A-​1 Vacuum or contacted Peter I bought a Dyson from Costco. I tried it out at home and was happy with its suction but I did not like other things about it… the bag-​less operation requiring me to play in the dirt to empty the container for one thing. It was fun to see stuff swirl up out of my carpet but that seemed like a fad that would be less fun with time. It has Onboard tools that I found clumsy and inconvenient. I returned the Dyson to Costco.
Then I had to make a trip South so I went to the Oreck store in Riverside California and tested the Oreck Magnesium. It is a sleek simple and fantastically light weight machine, but didn’t seem as powerful as the Dyson. The store manager told me the Magnesium actually did not have as much power as the Dyson because it didn’t need it. His logic was that the Magnesium has better brushes than Dyson so it doesn’t need as much power. I was not impressed enough with that argument to pay hundreds of dollars for a less powerful machine.
I had owned an original Oreck decades earlier and was happy with it. But I wanted more power. I wanted the clean simple design and light weight of the Oreck and the suction of the Dyson. But that seemed like an impossibility so I decided that I would buy a cheap used Oreck to hold me over till I had time to really research good vacuums.
I found Peter on Craigslist because he had refurbished Orecks advertised. I emailed him some questions and he replied to my email the same day in the evening. I always appreciate quick replies to my emails! He seemed helpful so we went in to the store to see his used Orecks. They looked good for used vacuums and came with 90 day warranties. I was ready to just buy one.
Luckily he suggested I try the new SIMPLICITY FREEDOM upright. I listened to Peter explain all the great features. I really LOOKED at its DESIGN… clean and simple. It turned out to be the QUALITY vacuum of my dreams. NO clunky Onboard tools hanging on it. Lightweight. The EASIEST bag changing system I have seen on an upright. And the little thing is MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN THE DYSON!!!
It came with a free little canister vac that also has fantastic suction and all the best tools. For me, having this little LIGHTWEIGHT powerful «SPORT» canister Is a much more functional system than lugging Onboard tools around every time I vacuum.
I had never heard of Simplicity vacuums. Then Peter explained it’s the same company that makes Simplicity DRESS PATTERNS! Well of course I’ve heard of Simplicity! And their vacuums are MADE IN AMERICA.
I love everything about both Simplicity machines I bought. Anyone needing a new or used vacuum should check with Peter before buying. If you are not familiar with the POWERHOUSE little SIMPLICITY vacuums you should try one out before you buy something else.
I like to save money. But I have learned that «price» and «cost» are often very different. I would rather pay a higher price for one quality machine that will perform well for many many years instead of buying several cheap machines that will end up COSTING me more over the same amount of years.
When I buy the best I am never disappointed.
Go talk to Peter. He seems to really want us to get what is best for us and be happy with our choice. And 90 day warranty on a used Oreck? That still seems like a good deal if you want a used vacuum!

I continue to have great experiences with the owner, Peter, at A-​1 Vacuum and Sewing. I purchased a basic machine 3 years ago. I was happy that Peter didn’t try to talk me into more machine than I wanted. Recently, I purchased an upgrade and he gave me a very nice deal. I think he’s knowledgeable in regards to sewing machine repair, service and product information. Don’t let the sight of a million vacuums inside the store discourage you. Peter knows where everything is and remembers who you are. For sewing machine care, he’s the guy.

I took a used sewing machine that I just bought in for repair and servicing. The plastic bobbin case on my top loading, drop-​in machine was chipped and needed to be replaced. I was charged $ 30 for a replacement bobbin case, after the man who helped me came down a slight bit in the price for servicing. He quoted me $ 150 for both the part and service and when I hesitated he came down to $ 130. My machine has been great since having it serviced so I can say that he did a good job there. But after driving down the street and consulting with Sierra Sewing Center on what they would’ve charged (not telling them I took it somewhere else, just asking their price) I realized I was overcharged by $ 25. No biggie but a little annoying. What really makes me feel taken advantage of tho is that after my first project I took my plate off to clean out my machine and when I pulled the bobbin case out it had the same chip in it with superglue holding the missing plastic piece in there! I took my chipped case with me when I dropped my machine off so he must have had another broken one that was repaired with superglue hanging around. I would’ve been okay with it if he’d said something and not charged me $ 30 for a new case!!!
Since I’m now debating on an embroidery machine or a serger or maybe even another sewing/​embroidery machine with a larger throat space for quilting… or maybe even both a serger and another sewing machine this guy screwed himself. He had a great selection of used machines (no way I’m buying new for everything I want/​need). I would’ve gone back to him and purchased machines as well as for servicing/​repair if he’d not saved himself $ 5 on putting a broken/​repaired part in my machine and charged me for a new part.
If you’re going here for vacuum repair beware… you may not see the superglued replacement part he’s charging you full price for.

Little cramped, a little dirty but GREAT PRODUCTS so who cares! the sales guy went out of his way to show and explain any thing i wanted! I only had 100 bucks to spend and this guy sold me a used vacuum that normally retails for 300 bucks! It was a riccar vacuum and OMG i will never buy a junk one from walmart again! This thing rocks! never ever go bagless there junk i have had them all from 50 dollar ones to 500 dollar ones! after 2 months the bag was full and still the sucktion on this was enough to pick up a large can of beans! The bags they sell are the same price on line so no waiting for UPS for me! Ill be going back for sure!

Initially, we recieved excellent customer service from Peter. However, this last time we took in our vacuum and carpet cleaner, Peter was not at his best. My husband told him the carpet cleaner wasn’t working right, and it wasn’t cleaning the carpet, because the soap wasn’t coming out.
Peter was VERY short with him, and told him it was working fine, and didn’t need any service. He also told my husband that the vacuum had lost a motor, and he would fix that, and he did. However, we took our carpet cleaner to another service center, and they found the soap wasn’t coming out because the holes were clogged! Peter was supposed to have serviced the cleaner last year, and clean out the holes, but obviously, he didn’t because it hasn’t worked right since we picked it up last year.
The new service center also told my husband how to use the machine, and it was nothing like Peter told us when we bought it. He said we could leave the soap in the machine, and they told us not to do that, it’s why the holes were clogging. My husband picked up the cleaner, and we will not return to A-​1 Vacuum & Sewing again, too much bad information and attitude.
Oh, Peter only carries a few vacuums now, and has turned most of the shop into sewing machines. Maybe he doesn’t want to service vacuums anymore, which is why his attitude was so bad.
Peter and John are two of the best customer service people in Reno! We have purchased a vacuum, carpet cleaner, and sewing machine from Peter, and all have performed beautifully, outperforming our previous models tremendously. We’ve dealt with other vacuum «professionals» in Reno who were absolutely horrible and unprofessional, but Peter is a pro, and I’d recommend him to anyone. He offers good prices, excellent trade-in’s and he’s friendly, to boot. If you need one of these products, go see Peter, he’s great!!!

Went there to look at vacuums.
They had a selection of Miele and Simplicity vacuums.
The owner, Randy, did an excellent job of explaining all the different features. He truly is a good salesman, no pressure, but he is knowledgeable. He wasn’t sleazy, he cared about his business and products.
We ended up buying a Miele Callisto from him. He offered a great price, beating the online deals.
I would recommend this store if you are looking for a great vacuum.