The machine repair place was the dealer. It's a Singer Confidence machine and when I called they thought it might be a part that had "popped out of place"
I pulled everything apart that I could, pulled out the bobbin case, cleaned it with the brush, and didn't see any thread. There was some lint, but that wasn't the issue apparently. It's the mechanism that makes the needle go up and down that is just stuck. :(
Thanks for the advice!