The Greatest Sewing Machine Sale Of All Time
Hang it in the Louvre!
A few weeks ago, a good customer of ours came into the shop and purchased the Janome Continental M8, one of greatest sewing and quilting machines in the world.
In terms of hardware, the M8 might be the best home sewing machine ever built. Similar to industrial machines, it has a flatbed design (no freearm) and an all-metal housing, which gives it a sturdy and heavy “old-world” feel.
It is also the only home sewing machine in the world equipped with a brushless servo motor, another nod to the Continental M8’s industrial lineage. In combination with the all-metal housing, the M8’s brushless servo motor creates a unique sewing experience for the user. I’d describe the experience as both incredibly smooth and notably powerful, like a hot knife through butter.
But the thing that made this sale particularly special was that the sewist who purchased the M8 is a farmer. Her farm grows all sorts of food, and in the past she has gifted us with cherries and other stone fruit. This time, before loading the M8 in her trunk, she asked me to help her unload “just a couple” watermelons she was gifting us.
15 watermelons in total, freshly picked that morning by her workers. It took me four separate trips to unload them all, using her sewing machine trolley as a makeshift wheelbarrow. I was stoked to get the photo above of the M8 in-box posing side-by-side with all 15 watermelons (plus a couple vintage Singer machines).
About an hour later, another woman came into the shop. She was with her husband who dressed in all black like Johnny Cash, except black Hokas instead of cowboy boots. The woman wanted a 6-needle Brother embroidery machine she’d been dreaming about, but apparently her husband didn’t think she needed it.
“He’s being mean to me today,” she whispered to me. “You need to convince him.”
The man was actually a very kind prson, but understandably skeptical as to why his wife needed a $10,000 embroidery machine. Fortunately for me, I had a mountain of watermelons at my disposal for trade.
“Sir, do you like watermelon?”
“Love ‘em.”
“See these watermelon? If you get her this machine, I’ll give you 5 of these watermelons.”
“Deal.”
We shook hands and set the seal on what is one of my favorite sales ever during my time at The Sewing Machine Shop. With the help of a box of watermelons, we sold more than $15,000 of sewing machines before noon. A true work of art. Hang it in the Louvre!
Thank you for reading.
Do you enjoy the occasional newsletter like this one that is a window into a day in the life at the Sewing Machine Shop? If you could participate in the poll below, I would greatly appreciate it.
For all new subscribers to The Sewing Machine Newsletter, click on the button below to access the full archive of more than 70 sewing machine articles:
I laughed my head off!!
I love this!