Going to vac shops as a kid?

[fan-of-fans]

Did your parents let you go to vac shops as a kid? I remember when I was little there were two main vac shops here. My mom took me to one because she wanted some extra wands and a floor brush for her vacuum. The owner there was really nice, and I remember him showing me a Sanyo Transformax upright that they sold which I was fascinated by. He also gave me a Riccar and a Beam central vac brochure (both of which I still have).

The other vacuum store here I remember going to once when we needed a new switch for my mom's Concept One. My dad took me, but he wouldn't let me look at anything in there. (I think the owner there was a bit less friendly, but I don't really recall.)

I remember seeing one other sign for a vacuum shop here but we never went to that one.

My mom would let me look in the vacuum aisle at Kmart when we went. But strangely I have very few memories of the Sears vacuum department over the years, until I started driving and going on my own. I'm guessing either there was a period of time I lost interest or my parents just didn't want to waste time going in that department. I do also have a brochure or two from there. (Most of the vacuum memories I have are from the old Sears appliance store, not the new larger dept store in the mall). Except the night we went to buy my mom's Kenmore Whispertone canister at the new mall store.

One other cleaning supply store here sold Sanitaire vacuums. I remember telling the person working there that they looked like Eurekas and she said they were indeed made by them. She also gave me a brochure and I still have it too.

 

[gman]

I grew up in a small town in Illinois. Saturday mornings dad would go to the hardware store and I would go straight to the vacuums. They only sold Hoover, celebrity’s, and quick brooms, and they had the binder books. That was right around the time the concept one was introduced.

Mom would go to dress shopping at Penny’s and I would go straight the vacuums. I remember the rebadged Hoover and Eurekas.

I don’t remember lingering in the Sears vacuum department, but they were pretty heavily staffed with sales people and not really open to kids playing around.

There were two vacuum shops, one that sold TVs and Hoover’s where we got our first convertible, and the Kirby Dealer. The shiny Red Classic III Was the current model and I was in love. I always rode my bike down there to get out A bags. She was not that friendly, and smoked like a train.

 

[oreck_xl]

I remember several different shops as a kid. I was always drawn to the refurbished Kirby 500 series machines, buffed so shiny they looked like mirrors - done up usually in Tradition blue trim (sometimes red) and wrapped in a clear plastic bag to keep the shine.
My ONLY encounter with an Electrolux model V happened at an Electrolux dealer in Valley Stream, New York. It was a dark, dimly lit place and the owner smoked liked a chimney also. IIRC he also had a cat. I remember seeing the V in the window, along with other vintage luxes. I don't know why, but I didn't ask at the time if it was for sale. I probably would've been told "no."

 

[brando_husky]

I loved going to odowds vacuums in omaha. They have thousands and thousands of vacuums from the earliest and up. It's maddening to say the least. They have to shops. One is very run down. Hundreds of antique vacuums shoved everywhere and piled on top of each other. In dirty dark unlit cavernous holes under the ancient store


 


The other is much nicer but much more tightly packed and organized too 

 

[human]

I don't really remember going to vacuum shops as a kid. If we walked through the vacuum department of a chain store, we didn't linger. I think Dad generally bought appliances at places like Sears or Kmart, depending on what it was. He was a HUGE Sears fan. He traveled in his job and did a lot of recreational shopping in the evenings, which I guess was better than going to bars.

 

[real1shep]

Sadly......

I don't have recollections of vac shops. I'm pretty sure the Rexair was taken care of by a salesman. I have no idea where my folks got the upright Hoovers and how they were ever fixed/maintained. It wasn't my dad....he would have just bought a new one.

I wound up fixing everything in the house once I proved to all I could do it. But I stayed cleared of the vacs. My dad never kept any manuals or paperwork;they went straight in the trash as soon as the box was opened.

Kevin

 

[detroitdirtbag]

I remember going to the factory rep’s house when the vac needed repair. I hated it, lol

 

[jo]

Electrolux and Singer

Mom has an Electrolux as did my Grandparents and several other relatives and friends.. As a kid we would go to the Electrolux store to get bags, a switch, or power nozzle replacement brush rollers periodically...I was shy as a kid so didn’t engage much but my eyes were checking everything out! Dad took me With him when our PN-1 was giving Mom trouble by the time I was in say 5th or 6th grade and the guy at the store took us back into the workroom and showed us how to fix it and lubricate it for the future. We felt it was just worn out but the guy said no, it’s got more life in it and didn’t try to sell us a new one. In the back there I was intrigued by all the Different Electrolux’s lined up on their hind ends In for service of some sort and all the different power nozzles in different colors and cover styles. Also it was fascinating to see the shelves full of all the parts. It was at this point I realized the vacuum was very serviceable and I began experimenting opening up some older models we had rescued from someone’s trash and fixing them up.

Mom had a singer sewing machine and there was a Singer store in the next town that was bigger and I wasn’t school age yet she took me along when she had to go in for something for her sewing machine and was busy with the man for some time. I spent the time preoccupied looking at the Singer canister vacuums they had on display and I probably got told more than once by Mom not to touch them. They were so different than the Electrolux canisters...I really hadn’t been exposed to any other brand of vacuum except a giant old Kirby upright my Dad had rescued years before but lived in the basement as Mom wouldn’t let it in the main part of the house...it was beastly and heavy, dirty and a cloud of dust came from it when it was turned on....so seeing a canister of any other brand was really intriguing as all the relatives we visited and my friend’s Mom’s all had the Electrolux.

Jon

 

[eurekafansquid]

Once went to an oreck dealer
where I got my oreck

 

[ridgidwd0670]

My 1st time going to a vac shop was when we needed a new Electrolux hose for the 1205

Then later bought a belt for the Electrolux PN1 (I was surprised the belt lasted 20 yrs)

 

[anthony]

i dont remember vacuums shops as a kid

but i do remember back in the 70s as a service engineer being surrounded by them [new and old ]at the local department store [UPTONS]two days a week i would be sent to spend the day in the cellar of the building with lots of machines that had come back to the shop faulty .I would spend my day repairing them ready to go back on sale .In one corner there would be lots of old machines that had been traded in for new ones just waiting to be disposed of .I asked the manager what was their fate .he told me they were all off to the local tip and if i wanted anything just help yourself which of course i did

 

[thevacomaticiec]

I recall always having a look in Sears at all the vacuums there and some times trying to take the canister fora spin hehehe .

Then a friend of mine had a trifth store so i had tons of time to check out the vacuums and take em o na play vacuum in the spare room and also try em out at home and deal and trade prices was good i lovvvvvvvvvvvvved it !!!!

Was so fun to go to the second hand store and try out all the vacuums and clean the spare room hehe the front desk girl didnt seem to mind as i told her ihada few machine at home and id pay cash if i wanted to take one home she gave mea good price hehe sadly it closed down ...