Wai's Sewing Machine Company

Man, thank god for the amazing Mr. James Wai.

When I first started doing alterations, I purchased an industrial chain stitch machine of off craigslist and needed to get it serviced. I took it to "That Place That Sells Sewing Machines" in Daly City and was told it should be ready in a week or two. A month later, I stopped in and found my machine at the same spot on the counter. It turns out, it's really hard to find people who can service these older machines. The folks at TPTSSM said that none of their reps had any info on my machine and they didn't have any suggestions for where I could take it to get repaired. "You'll probably have to take it to L.A." I was told.

Luckily, my friend Al (from Al's Attire) recommended me to check out Jame Wai's shop.

I have to admit that I had a little trouble communicating with James, but he was patient with me and totally understanding of my lack of sewing knowledge and Cantonese.

The bad news was that I had bought the wrong machine for what I needed. The good news was that he had the EXACT machine I needed and he sold it to me with a motor/table/tune up for a great bargain.

If you have an old Union Special and can't find anyone to fix it, take it to James. When I came to pick up my machine, I was really surprised that he took an hour explaining it's parts to me. Again, communication was a bit tricky, but threading a Union Special doesn't require much conversation.

Other places you can take your machine to are Apparel City for parts and maintenance or Mr. Ho for in-house repair.