As you stroll down Talbot street it’s impossible not to feel the history of the area ooze and to see the community spirit vibrantly alive and well. Slap bang in the middle of this street is Singer Sewing Centre which has been a staple of the community for over 150 years. This sewing mecca has managed to evolve with the times but to still keep its old school Dublin charms, this business has faced good times and bad, trials and tragedies but is still standing strong and proud. It represents the essence of it’s area.
We drop in to the store to chat with John who has worked in his family owned and operated business for over 34 years, his charisma and charm is emulated strongly in his shop. His door is open and local business owners pop in and out with various questions, stories and his neighbor in Tara Leathers even drops in with a coffee. John is a solid part of his community – John knows everyone’s name and everyone certainly knows John’s name.
While we are in with John, we pop our heads in next door to Malcom in Tara Leathers to see his giant vintage Singer sewing machine that is made especially for working on leather and we learn that John’s Father sold it to them many years ago.
Singer’s sewing centre originally only sold Singers sewing equipment but have evolved with the times and now sell a multitude of brands including embroidery and industrial machines. They offer a very wide range of Singer sewing machines, as well as machines from other brands such as Brother, PFAFF, Janome, and Frister and Rossmann. Aside from sewing machines, they also offer an array of felling machines, overlockers, ironing presses, quilting machines, hemming machines and much much more.
A testament to the calibre of their products and services is the fact that their clientele spans a multiple of generations—don’t be surprised to hear about their clients’ great grandparents being one of the store’s customers in its early years. John prides himself on his personal approach when dealing with customers and he is everything a good business man should be – honest, direct and wonderfully witty.
John’s customer base is extremely varied and they purchase machines for many business ventures including dog clothing, bridal lingerie, body building competition swimsuits, traditional African costumes and everything in between from domestic usage to fashion designers. His clientele range from young hobbyists looking to get into needlecraft and experienced sewers who make their own sweaters, to professional textile designers who earn a living from their craft.
Singer sewing centre have an on-site mechanic who’s in charge of handling sewing machine repairs. Apparently John insists that restoring a sewing machine back from disrepair isn’t as difficult or expensive as you may think and may be the reason that John has an impressive array of working vintage sewing machines on display! This little DublinTown gem is exactly what makes our fair city so special.
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