Meet our JUKI National Accounts ready to help you find the right machine for your dream projects!
JUKI’s National Account Dealers have highly desired JUKI models on display. This allows you and other customers the ability to see and try the machines at a National Account Dealer location to help you find the right JUKI for your sewing needs.
To find your nearest JUKI National Account visit us here.
On today’s blog, we flew to North Carolina and got the chance to visit our Industrial Dealer, Fox Company in Charlotte, a shop that offers users like you industrial machine options, repairs from a certified JUKI team, and a hidden gem; their Sewing Machine Museum! Follow along as we meet up with Kevin Berzack, President of the Fox Company, and go behind the scenes.
Since its founding in 1932, The Fox Company has been specializing in machinery for the sewn-products industry and allied industries. They’re known to distribute leading international brands like JUKI and manufacture their own products! On our visit, we also discover their hidden gem, the Sewing Museum you’ll see we’re filming in today! This museum was started by Mr. Henry Berzack, father to the current president, who was a sewing machine collector that found machines from all over the world, excited to showcase designs that have long been changed.
Stay until the end to get a close-up look at some of the vintage sewing machines we saw while visiting, and watch as history changed the sewing machine we know today!
Follow along below for the transcript version of our interview with Kevin Berzack, President of the Fox Company.
My name is Kevin Berzak, I’m the president of the Fox Company. I’ve been president for about two years since the passing of my father and the company is as a family-owned entity and I’m assisted by my sister Nicole who’s the vice president.
What is the history behind the Fox Company?
Fox company traces its roots back to the 1930s where Johnny Fox was a distributor for the Eastman machine company mainly focusing in the cutting rooms. My family bought the company from him in the mid 70s, so my family started in South Africa my grandfather was the first basically importer of industrial sewing machines to South Africa and way back in the 50s I believe started a relationship with JUKI and was the first company to bring JUKI machines into South Africa and southern Africa.
That relationship we carried forward to when we emigrated to this country when we started in the 70s. We approached JUKI and asked if we could please; because we had the experience, and the comfort with JUKI, that we could be able to distribute the equipment here, and luckily we were able to and we’ve had a great relationship since then.
What can a customer find at Fox Company?
Fox company obviously sells to some products industry. Our main selling item is obviously industrial sewing machinery equipment; of which JUKI and the other Japanese brands are the vast majority of our sales, JUKI being the number one product by far. And on the spreading and cutting side we get into cutting rooms across the country, as well as carry a huge amount of spare parts.
With Fox company you’re not just getting a machine in a box, you’re getting the complete package. As I started to say, we’re going to be there in the factory with you, we’re going to see what you needs are, we’re going to present a machine, when you get the machine it’s going to be sewn off to your specifications and more than likely one of our Representatives is going to follow the installation back to the factory and make sure that the machine is working to your satisfaction.
Fox company is going to continue to be a customer focused entity. We’re putting customer service number one. We will go where the customer is and where our customers are, and try to continue to gain experience from JUKI and other manufacturers and try to represent the equipment in the best light possible.
What is the history of The Sewing Museum we’re in today?
This happens to be my father’s passion, Harry Berzak, it’s his Museum and considered probably one of the top five to ten museums of antique sewing machines in the world today, encompassing many of the early American and European brands.
Where can customers locate The Fox Company?
We are located here in headquarters in North Carolina in Charlotte. We’re also available on the web. We have an office that basically handles our cutting products; including pool cut machinery and measuring machinery and other specialized equipment in Auburn, Georgia which is just North of Atlanta, and we have our offices in San Pedro Soule and Honduras
To learn more about the Fox Company, visit their website here! Thank you for joining us today in getting to know Kevin Berzack and our Industrial Dealer, the Fox Company.
Join us today and get an inside look at SewingMachinesPlus.com’s San Diego shop location as we visit with Blaine, a well-known face for the SMP business! With over 50 years of business, SewingMachinesPlus.com operates the largest sewing machine and vacuum cleaner website nationwide. Located in Southern California, you can visit one of their two retail locations in San Marcos and San Diego, both offering 10,000 square feet of showroom with giant classrooms to host weekly Sewing classes and monthly events!
Follow along below for the transcript version of our interview with Blaine from SewingMachinesPlus.com
Hi, I’m Blaine Austin and I’m with SewingMachinesPlus, and we have two retail superstores in the San Diego area, and we also have a big online presence that we ship nationwide.
What is the history of SewingMachinesPlus.com?
The company was founded by Ron Martin, and he’s been in probably the sewing business for probably over 50 years. SewingMachinesPlus itself, the concept of online business has been well over 25 years, and that’s kind of how the company started. He’s got his two sons involved in the business as well, and I joined the company in 2018. We’ve been going strong ever since!
What can customers expect when shopping at SewingMachinesPlus.com?
One of the things at SewingMachinesPlus that we strive on is customer service, and in customer service, one of our core values, the number one, is to be customer driven. I know that’s easy for companies to say, but to do it is a completely different thing and you have to work extremely hard to make sure that you’re giving incredible customer service.
One of the things that we have at SewingMachinesPlus.com that we instill in all of our employees, is finding a way to say yes. That’s our number one policy. So we do whatever we can do, through training, through support with our machines, we do new owner classes through Zoom, so we find a way to make sure the customer is happy with their machine, that they can use it, and grow with it.
What machines can customers find at SewingMachinesPlus.com?
We actually, at SewingMachinesPlus.com, carry every single brand of sewing machine out there, and naturally, JUKI is one of our top brands. and we carry every single JUKI machine, including the industrial machines, and residential machines. And so, you can basically see at our locations and online presence, every quilting, embroidery, and sewing machine that is made.
Why did SewingMachinesPlus.com choose to carry JUKI?
Well, one of the reasons we chose JUKI, is you know the number one thing, is just the quality. You know, when you get a JUKI machine I pretty much steel everybody, “It’s bulletproof.” it is such a great machine, and it’s pretty simple to operate too, so that’s one of the things we very seldom have any problems.
What I like about JUKI is they have a machine that’s gonna fit just about any job you can come up with for sewing, and so you know that’s one of the things.
The number one machine we actually sell is the 2010. We have sold thousands of those things, and the customers really love that straight stitch machine but you know, we also introduce the new RICOH printer that JUKI has in just the last couple of years and we’ve sold more of those than anybody in the country. Then we also have the TAJIMA 8-needle embroidery machine that JUKI is distributing, and that had been a big seller for us as well.
We really love all the different things that JUKI has, and the different machines that they carry that give you the versatility of pretty much anything you want to attack in the sewing world.
What do you see for the future of SewingMachinesPlus.com?
Well, that’s kind of a loaded question! You know we are continuing to try and reinvent ourselves. You know a lot of stores during the pandemic struggled, but we strived, we actually figured out a way to do things more virtually and did a lot more visual classes. So we found ways in social media to get more customers in and you know we’re doing that every day.
We’re looking at technology and things, where we can get more of a customer base, and that’s the thing we’re continuing to strive for and to continue to build that customer base and give them great customer service. You know that’s the number one thing.
One of the things we’ve done too is developed a network of repair techs nationwide, so now we can send somebody to your house nationwide to do installs and repairs, and that’s been big for us as well.
So one of the things we’re continuing to do is just try and think outside the box to come up with new and better ways to do it.
How can customers find SewingMachinesPlus.com?
We welcome everybody out there to come and check our website out its www.SewingMachinesPlus.com, and also, give us a call at 800-401-8151. We have a huge call center of operators standing by that can answer pretty much any question you have in sewing. One of the things that w really do, and the reason we encourage people to give us a try is that everybody we hire has to go through an extensive training program with sewing machines so they are very knowledgeable, and our live chat agents have to be sewers and quilters and embroiderers before we’ll even hire them.
So the people you’re talking to at SewingMachinesPlus are very knowledgeable about every single product and that’s the number one thing we try to do, try to give you great customer service and great prices!
To learn more about SewingMachinesPlus visit their website or socials down below! Thank you for joining us today in getting to know Blaine and our National Account SewingMachinesPlus. We hope you get a chance to visit the next time you’re in the San Diego area.
Don’t miss out on SewingMachinesPlus.com updates by following their socials below!
Join us this month as we celebrate National Quilting month with some of our favorite JUKI quilting machines. Whether you’re working in a studio, or on your kitchen table, we make sure to have what you need to start creating.
Check out this month’s top quilting machines and contact your local JUKI dealer here to learn more about our machine features and projects you can start creating today!
As creators, we love being inspired by other sewist and quilters, but how do we take their inspiration and personalize it? Today we will discuss five ways to personalize your sewing and quilting projects. From adding lettering to printing on designs, there are so many ways we can find a project and turn it into our style. So follow along and check out what machines and accessories we recommend for your personalization touches.
Adding Lettering
Whether you’re inspired to create a tote bag, or a sweater, adding lettering to your projects can be just the touch of personalization you need! Add your initials with your partners on a sleeve to create the perfect valentines gift, place your child’s name on their new school bag, or gift a quilt with a quote to your loved one using the lettering feature on your creations.
To add this personalization technique, you can use an electric computerized sewing machine that offers lettering, like the Kokochi DX-4000QVP! An electronic computerized sewing machine like the DX-4000QVP offers lettering stitch choices, ranging in different fonts, that will allow you to quickly and easily stitch in your child’s name, favorite quote, or number one sports team name!
Adding lettering is an easy way to personalize your next project and can be done with just a tap of your finger and a stitch!
Adding Embroidery Designs
Using a specialized embroidery machine, you can start adding your designs and bring texture to your projects by adding a touch of your personality! For example, add a cool design to sneakers, pet collars, or even a child’s teddy bear to create a project representing you or the gift receiver.
A machine like the JUKI/Tajima Sai 8 Needle Embroidery Machine is an example of a machine that can offer this feature! With 8 different color options, you can create beautiful flowers, animals, and a scenic view from your last hike. Art is limitless with what you can create on an embroidery machine. Adding embroidery can be an exciting art form when creating personalized projects!
Want to try your hand at embroidering and creating a makeup bag? Learn how to create this makeup bag with our JUKI Ambassador Nicole Moore here!
Designing Your Fabric
Have you found yourself wanting a specific fabric design? Been drawing some designs of your own? Then take the leap and design your own fabric! With a machine like a Direct-To-Garment printer, the options in patterns and designs for your projects are now endless, thanks to the ability to design your own fabrics right from your studio.
The RICOH Ri 100 can help you print your art designs and patterns onto fabric easily and quickly. From canvas fabrics for your tote bags to cotton for your memory quilts, enjoy the freedom of designing and creating anything for your imagination, and enjoy a material that no one else would have!
Try your hand at printing your own fabric with this east mini quilt project! Learn how to create your own with our JUKI Ambassador Nicole Moore here!
Adding in Photos
Whether it’s a family photo or a memory from your favorite trip with friends, adding a memory photo to a project like a t-shirt or a quilt is a great way to personalize your projects! Whether you’re embroidering designs with free motion quilting, using a Direct-To-Garment printer, or using an embroidery machine, there are limitless ways you can get to designing and including your photos in your projects.
Our favorite projects are memory quilts users create with photos! From sweet newborn gifts to anniversaries and holidays, a quilt created with personalized love is an excellent idea for your next gift project! Using a machine like our Direct-To-Garment printer, the RICOH Ri 100 can easily print and place your photos directly onto the fabric you’re creating, letting you put your focus on your quilt block designs.
Want to create your own memory quilt like the one shown for your loved one? Follow along here to learn more here!
Creating a Set
One of the best things about personalization is the freedom to be creative in what we embroider and print on. Personalize your next gift by creating a matching set! Whether it’s a set of make-up bags for traveling, or a matching set of t-shirts for the father and daughter duo, sets can be a fun gift that allows you to try different project ideas.
One of the best ways to create sets is to intermix your work! Print on your fabric, embroider your design and sew it all together to create something unique and different. Whether your project is small, like a glasses case, or large, like a king quilt, adding these touches of personalization will bring the whole idea together!
So the next time you create a project, add your name, embroider a design, or print on a pattern and show your personality when showing off your project!
Want to try your hand at creating a matching set? Check out our Daddy and Daughter duo set project here!
Want to personalize your next project? Then, visit us here today to find your nearest JUKI dealer!
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