Spotlight on our Janome Dealer “Sew and Save Centre” in Stratford, Ontario

For those who’ve not visited Southern Ontario, Stratford is a cute, friendly small city with a small-town feel. It’s a beautiful drive and there’s always lots going on. Sure, we’ve all likely heard of the very popular annual Stratford Festival, but for me, my favourite place to visit, of course, is “Sew and Save Centre“, a second-generation Janome dealership which is right in the heart of downtown.

As one of Janome’s Top Dealers in Canada, Mark Phillips and his sweet sister, Karen, literary grew up with the brand as their parents were one of the first Janome dealers in Canada when Janome entered the Canadian market over 40 years ago.

Though the store is not especially large, there’s lots to look at with lots of information and inspiration to be had; lots of great service, and lots of gorgeous Janome machines to test drive.

I LOVE these circular tables which spin around like a big lazy Susan. Oh, I could SEW use this set-up in my sewing room!

As Janome’s largest dealer in Southwest Ontario, Sew and Save Centre has a machine for everyone! Though I really do love all Janome machines for their various reasons, below is the amazing Janome Memory Craft 6700P, one of my all-time favourites. In addition to it’s industrial look, 10 inches of throat space and superior LED lighting, I love how FAST it is. 1200 stitches per minute!

Something which definitely caught my eye in the store was the very cool, sleek and stylish new Janome HD 3000BE. It’s another of my favourite machines at the moment as I spent a lot of time sewing with it recently at a quilting retreat. It’s a special Black Edition of the Janome HD 3000 which has been in the product line for some time. HD stands for Heavy Duty and boy, did it deliver! I’ve written several blog posts about the Janome HD 3000BE so be sure to check them out for more information about this fantastic machine and the fun, functional projects I made with it.

Ever wonder what’s behind all that sleek and shiny plastic?

ALL Janome machines; sewing machines and sergers alike, start with a solid cast aluminum frame. Each model of machine, from beginner entry level all the way up to the advanced Top-of-the-Line,  has a metal skeleton upon which the rest of the machine is built. Janome is definitely built to last!

Helping those machines to last is Dempsey, who heads up the service side of things. Bless him for doing so as these are not the kind of service/ repairs we EVER want to see a consumer do! lol! The collective years of knowledge and experience at the Sew and Save Centre means everyone who walks in the door is very well taken care of, indeed. Another reason I love visiting this store.

During this visit I was doing a full a day of presentations, or sharing the Janome Love as I say.

There is a lot of love and a lot of fun at the Sew and Save Centre, and part of that is due to that sweet, feisty woman on the right. She’s Mark and Karen’s mom, Delores Phillips. Though she no longer has day-to-day responsibilities in running the store, Delores is still a driving presence hosting clubs and classes.

I love looking at Delores’ beautiful quilting and embroidery projects in the store, and this last visit she shared with me her first embroidery project on one of the first Janome embroidery machines on the market. SEW sweet and beautiful, just like Delores herself.

And, since every Queen needs a throne, this is hers. I LOVE IT! I want to do this for my own sewing chair, too! lol!

Thank you, Delores, Mark, Karen, Dempsey and all the fabulous ladies who came out to share the Janome love! I can’t wait to return!