Originally Posted by
Rose_P
We're like a fair size town on QB, where everyone has sewing machines, and half a century ago that was the way things were almost everywhere in the developed world. But these days, they're not nearly as common, and not nearly as many people are looking for someone to fix a sewing machine. There just aren't enough of us to sustain the number of repair businesses that there used to be, so they're few and far between. This is not to say that the demand will die out any time soon, just that the ratio in the general population is way, way down.
The scarcity of repair shops isn't necessarily because of the lack of users of machines. There used to be sewing machine shops even in mid sized towns dotted across the country/world. To get the franchise or the training for the new machines is a HUGE investment. There are how ever quite a few back yard mechanics right here in our midst. I suspect there are back yard sewing machine mechanics all over the place, too. I'm teaching my grand children all I can - there will still be a use for sewing machines when I'm planted. Someone will have to fix them.
Speaking of DGKs. The youngest, Walter, pictured in my avatar, is mischief on legs. He loves to unthread sergers. He was watching as Miss L and Wilbur help me work on that machine (pictured) and I think he felt left out... He was caught red handed, he pulled the needle guard off his big sister's Spartan. The howl was heard directly to my house... He's too little yet but I think he might get to use a hand crank with no needle next time he is over. No screw driver for that one. No oil for that one.