For more than six decades, the sewing and vacuum shop on Santa Cruz’s Ocean Avenue has been a constant in the community. Known for years as Judy’s Sewing & Vacuum Center, the store was on the brink of closing when current owners Clare and Nick happened to stop in and strike up a conversation that would change the future of the business.
Seven years later, operating as Santa Cruz Vac & Sew, the shop has not only survived but evolved into a thriving community hub where creativity, craftsmanship and connection come together.
Santa Cruz Vac & Sew is the only dedicated sewing and vacuum store in the region.
Santa Cruz Vac & Sew is a family-owned business, the last of its kind in the region and the only dedicated sewing and vacuum sales and service shop serving both Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. For Clare and Nick, the decision to buy the store was less about profit and more about purpose. Both came from high-tech careers, a world Nick describes as ambitious but impersonal. “There’s sort of an emptiness in Silicon Valley,” he said. “You don’t get a feeling that anybody is real.”
Clare, a Santa Cruz native and lifelong sewist, said she felt pulled to return home to her roots. Her first job was at a local fabric store, and sewing had always been her refuge after long days in tech. When the previous owner, Judy Holloway, put the business up for sale, Clare’s mother urged her to take a look. Holloway wanted to sell to someone who truly understood sewing. “She knew it was me instantaneously,” Clare said. “I love what I’m doing, which is to sew and to teach people how to sew.”
That passion is evident the moment customers walk into their shop, which houses thousands of bolts of fabric and one of the largest selections of premium sewing and vacuum machines on the Central Coast. Santa Cruz Vac & Sew is an authorized dealer for Baby Lock, Pfaff and Viking sewing and embroidery machines, as well as Miele, Sebo, Riccar and Simplicity vacuums.
“We like to sell something we can stand behind and know the customer will be satisfied with,” Nick said.
Equally central to the business are its staff. Paul, in his 46th year of sewing machine repair, and Russ, who has fixed vacuums for 39 years, are local legends. Dennis, the main salesperson, brings more than 25 years of experience. “They’re all icons over here,” Nick said. In an era dominated by online shopping and disposable products, Santa Cruz Vac & Sew offers longevity and personal service.
What truly distinguishes the shop, however, is its role as a gathering place. “We’re not a shop, we are a community here,” Clare said. Classes run every day of the week, filling the store with the hum of machines and conversation. The shop also sells project kits with all the materials and instructions needed, making it easy for beginners to get started.
Youth classes are especially close to Clare’s heart and are consistently sold out. Children as young as 10 learn to sew through fun, hands-on projects that build patience, motor skills and confidence.
“We’ve planted a seed,” Clare said. “I want them to be inspired. We’re going to bring up a whole new generation of sewers in this community.”
Competing with online giants like Amazon is an ongoing challenge, but Santa Cruz Vac & Sew has something they don’t: expertise, service and community. Whether it is helping a customer choose the right machine, repairing a vacuum that has served a family for decades, or witnessing the pride of a child finishing their first project, the rewards are tangible.
At Santa Cruz Vac & Sew, Clare and Nick enrich the Santa Cruz community one stitch at a time.
Santa Cruz Vac & Sew
806 Ocean St, Santa Cruz
831-464-8181 • www.santacruzvacnsew.com