First time using Tidewater Sew & Vac and was recommended by Yelp Elite friend and King of Chesapeake King Bob. I'm not in the area often, but the drive was worth it. They repaired my Dyson vacuum that had been broken for a few years at a fair price. The customer service was top notch too! They work on almost any type of machine. Unsure about new sales as I was not in the shop long. It very hard to find these type of places, support them as they are a local business. My Dyson is now up and running and I plan on using them again soon on another vacuum that needs a tune up. read more

Okay, I am excited. I am a sewing geek, and this store made my day. It is full of hard-to-find sewing machine parts and gadgets I was unaware of. I found the self-threading needles that I had been looking for for months, and the price was also good. The store was organized, and the staff was super friendly. I enjoyed talking to them about the projects I worked on for 2024. I will try to attend a few sewing classes due to the encouragement I received. Great experience. read more

I've stopped by Tidewater Sew-Vac, located just off Battlefield Boulevard, right across from the Hospital, in the heart of Chesapeake, several times. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They really know their products and they are happy to help you with your purchases or service needs. That's right, they actually service what they sell, what a novel concept! Check out Tidewater Sew-Vac for all of your sewing machine and vacuum cleaners needs, you'll be happy that you did and you can rest assured that you are supporting our local business community! read more

I've given this place three chances for my business but I won't be back. The first time I went to buy a machine. I sew a lot and I wanted to get a good machine from a local place. They didn't even look at me. When I came back later with my husband, they only spoke with him! I was the one paying for and using the machine, but it was like I didn't exist. Today, I needed some fabric to make Christmas presents so I gave them another try. All of the employees looked up at me when I came in but no one said hello or can I help you, or acknowledged me in any way. I looked around the fabric for a while, no one looked at me. They had some nice Tula pink yardage but I'm not going to beg for someone to cut fabric. One employee was helping another customer and coughing all over the precuts with no mask on, so I left. If you're under 60, don't bother trying to shop here. read more

I have a Kirby Sentria 2 vacuum. Tidewater Sew vac always has bags and shampoo in stock. The staff is always friendly and willing to help. When it is time to have my Kirby serviced that's where it will go since they are authorized service. The best vacuum deserves the best service. read more

Tidewater Sew N Vac in Chesapeake, Virginia has been my go to place for my embroidery needs since the purchase of my first machine in 2010!! Free lessons came with my machine and man, did I have a blast at my embroidery classes!! Since then I have upgraded twice. I have never had any trouble whatsoever with any of the three machines! I went in the store on 3-31-18 looking for a magnetic embroidery hoop. That particular location did not have one to fit my machine. I was helped by store employee Debbie. She stayed on the phone and computer for the better part of an hour trying to figure which hoop my machine required and what store might have one!! She found me one in Newport News, VA and they gladly offered to bring it to the store on Tuesday. I live in North Carolina so I drove to Newport News and picked it up. I am so please with my service and my Snap Monster hoop!!! Debbie is a gem and I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to go visit her!!! Nancy Harrell Conway, NC read more

I'm afraid this business has gone downhill over the past fifteen years that I have been a customer. The owner does not appear to give a care about his customers or their wants and needs. He is only concerned about the almighty dollar. I always believed that small businesses were supposed to be a welcome reprieve from big box stores where there is no customer service or care for an individual customer. Mr. Strange is either overwhelmed by all of his stores in Hampton Roads and therefore cannot keep tabs on them and the customers or else he just doesn't think he can be adversely affected by a few "disgruntled' customers complaining and whining as he probably views it. It's a sad day when we customers spend literally thousands and thousands of dollars on sewing machines, quilting machines, embroidery software, vacuumes, steam machines and many sewing supplies and fabric and yet we do not receive a small business type of customer service. He leaves his managers with either too little help or none at all. His employees don't seem to be treated any better than the customers. He sponsors some big sewing/embroidery events and expects them to be there all weekend, setting up and taking down. They work very long hours sometimes and very hard, and in my opinion are not appreciated in the way they should be. He has a monopoly on this type of business that is for sure. Again, this is so sad for this "previous" customer. I will no longer patronize his stores. I will miss the people that I've met over the years that still go and attend some of the sewing bees. Most of the employees I've gotten to know over the years have quit, to no surprise. read more

If I could leave less than 1 star, I would. I took my Kenmore sewing machine in for cleaning and an adjustment on the bobbin tension. I had to take it back in 3 times. For the SAME thing. They would tell me it was fixed, I'd bring it home and sew for 15 minutes and it would start all over again. Yes, this machine is an older model, but either you know how to repair it or you do not. This last time, I just called to let the "new" store manager know it was NOT repaired but I was not going to bother to bring it back, and she responded "maybe you should buy a new machine". I will. But it certainly will NOT be from Tidewater Sew-Vac. read more

Tidewater SEWVAC on Battlefield lacks customer centric values and demonstrates poor business ethics. I recently sent my Dyson DC25 in for warranty service as recommended by Dyson to be the closest authorized service center. I arrived a few minutes before they closed after pushing though bad weather and heavy traffic. The administration up front was not really interested in hearing about the performance issues I was having. They partially filled out a carbon based paper service ticket and quickly got me out the door so they could close at exactly 6pm. There was no flexibility with them in listening to my needs as I only needed 2-3 minutes of their time to verify this information was properly transferred to the service technician. Several silent weeks went by with no courtesy follow up from Tidewater SEWVAC or even a general update from the service technician. I finally received a call from the same administration staff explaining to me that the service technician voided my warranty and it has been documented as customer damaged. They would not explain or share the reasoning behind it or allow me to speak with the service technician. As they continued to protect him, they proposed a quote to me for the repair at $400. This was a great example of customer price gouging when a new vacuum is $400. When I referenced this price check, they were quick to say it was out of their hands and they could not offer any explanation since the paper work was already submitted to Dyson making this the final decision with the process closed. So, the 2 parts needed to be replaced was the frame at $65 and the hose at $35. Both parts are readily available from competitive online vacuum specialty stores to purchase. I understand the businesses need to make a profit so just an example by doubling the parts we are looking at $200 for parts and then a remainder of $200 for labor. It is obvious that Tidewater SEW VAC employees non-efficient service technicians at a billable hourly rate at $50 an hour. I calculated this since I purchased both parts online for $100, installed, and tested in less than 4 hours. I declined the repair service and found several "how to" YOUTUBE videos and many service manuals and schematic online for free making this very simple. I have then since filed a formal complaint to Dyson about Tidewater SEW VAC . I explained my concern for Tidewater SEW VAC' s business model, warranty service ethics, and question their representation as an authorized dealer for Dyson. In conclusion, I recommended stopping by and visiting Tidewater SEWVAC's store. They have many great products that can be tested and evaluated onsite. Once you select the item you wish to purchase, I would not waste your time buying it there. Check Amazon or other reputable online stores to make your purchase at a better price including better customer support. You may even get free shipping, find an online coupon, & not have to pay tax. Either way, Tidewater SEWVAC will search for reasons to void your warranty and price gouge you with a false explanation. read more

I had to take my Dyson vacuum cleaner up to the battlefield boulevard store because it stopped working and this was the closest dealer that works on them. Shawn informed me from the very beginning that it takes a long time for Dyson to have parts delivered but he would call me as soon as the part came in and it would take him a couple days to replace it. Weeks went by and I heard nothing so I decided to call just to check up on it and just as Shawn said, the part hadn't come in yet. A few weeks later, he called to let me know the part arrived and he would call me as soon as it was fixed. A couple of days later, I receive a phone call letting me know it was ready. I go by, pick it up, bring it home and it's not working. I take it back up there and he informed me that he had tested it out before he called me. He tested it right in front of me and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Right then he made sure instead of getting a part replaced that the entire head would be replaced. He didn't have one in stock so he called another store and had them ship it to his store within 3 days. I've picked it up and it was brand new. I understand they have to try and fix it first and that's exactly what Shawn did. He definitely kept me informed at every step! read more

Being an informed consumer these days is a must as well as trusting where we spend our money. With this said, I was introduced to Tidewater Sew Vac (TSV) in 2013. I had taken a quilting class and decided it was my thing. I wanted a new machine so the research began. I learned about the mass produced machines from Amazon and the Walmart type stores which have high failure rates and that use parts that are not replaceable. They are the throw away type products that you use a few times and cannot be repaired. That is not how I spend hard earned money. I then learned about the types of machines that sew shops sell and the different brands. Many visits and testing of machines later I selected my machine with the educated input from the sales staff (Mary Beth) at the Great Bridge and Fairfield locations. Yes I paid a bit more money than big box places but let me tell you what I have received in return: they steered me away from machines unsuitable for me and my interests even when they cost more; they know my name, my machine, my skill level; and they know I value a sale. At Christmas when my machine upgrade was on sale, Christina from Fairfield called to let me know! Who does that anymore? TSV does. They also offer discounts for supplies when you are a part of their clubs which beat any online shopping deals. Eric keeps my machine purring and saves me maintenance money by cleaning my machine when operator error (me) drops and breaks needles! I have a friend who didn't want to pay local prices and bought a machine online. TSV didn't sell that machine for a reason as it didn't meet their standards. The few hundred dollars she saved on it has been more than paid out in repairs and time. She didn't learn and ordered a serger from Amazon that broke and was unrepairable. My time and quality of life is important, I like to be hassle free. My mom taught me to pay more for what you use more and pay less for what you use less. Quality and service are what TSV is known for in our area. I could go on and on about Tammy helping me do my same as cash financing (I just paid off my machine, now I want a serger) and Mr. Joe making sure I am happy with my hobby and does he offer what I need to enjoy it. It peeves me to see a poor review below when I have used a business for years and never once seen a negative experience during any of my many visits to the various locations! And yes, when I need a new vacuum I will buy it and service it there because there are different quality levels for machines under the same brand names!!! read more

I would like to begin this review on a positive note, the store manager, Carl, is very polite and well informed of the sewing machine products the store carries. He fully explained the benefits of each machine I was interested in purchasing. I did decide on purchasing a machines, I also wanted to trade in a machine I purchased from the Norfolk store in 2011. It is a very high end machine, the value they were willing to give me was $150, which is their right to offer; however, the value is way below the average price for the machine. Which is around $500-$900. The product was the floor model, of course I thought I would be getting a brand new, never out of the box machine. One can only hope that the floor model is indeed barely used, as I have no idea how long it has been a demo. About 5 hours after I finalized the purchase I found a machine with many more options, as well as a much lower cost. Both brands, Brother NX700, which was purchased from Tidewater, and Juki either the QVP or the Elegant are at the same level of performance and quality. Prior to purchasing the Brother machine from Tidewater the NO REFUNDSpolicy was not explained,there is in small print on the receipt some verbiage informing the consumer what may happen if an invoice is not paid in 30 days, where as the words NO REFUNDS is listed. One can easily wonder if the terms are no refunds on merchandise not picked up or purchased from the store. I called the manager asking to return the machine, please note the machine was never out of the box let alone my car at this point. During the call is when Carl informed of the no refund policy. He did ask me why I wished to return the machine I was very honest and let him know that the Juki was about $500 less that the Brother. Carl called corporate office of which they would not budge on the policy. Nor did they try to offer me a better deal on the machi8ne I purchased. Should I take some responsibility, yes, perhaps I should have asked not doing so could easily be viewed as my oversight. Would it have been appropriate for the corporate office to refund my money, even if the said they would charge a 10% restocking fee given that the machine never left my car. I think the answer is very clear, yes, they should have as doing so would have made this review at least 4 stars for customer service. Can I recommend this store, no. It is not the personnel it is the corporate office that seems to keep the sale in lieu of gaining a customer, in terms of passing along to others to at least consider a high end purchase. Will I still like the sewing machine, time will only be the judge of this fact. Bottom line Tidewater Sew Vac does not attempt to work with a disappointed customer, money in the till is more important than the possibility of a customer returning and sending others to the store. Penny wise and very pound foolish. read more