I recently had the pleasure of visiting Sew ‘N Vac in Knoxville, TN with my mother-in-law, who had tinkered with her sewing machine and gotten the settings mixed up, so we took it in for service. The owner, Steve Osborne, remembered trading with her more than a decade ago. She traded her mother’s old quilter for a new sewing machine. Osborne looked it over and fixed the settings and replaced a missing foot and refused to take any money for the service. He was just taking care of a customer. When asked what his motto was, Osborne replied “I just try to treat any customer like I would treat my mom or dad.”

Funny he should say that because his parents, Jim and Jackie Osborne, opened their first “Sew ‘N Vac” in Sevierville in 1974, where they offered fabric and a few sewing machines until about 1982 when they expanded to add a store in West Knoxville. The business has expanded and contracted through the decades, previously having stores in East Knoxville and Chattanooga as well. Jim and Jackie Osborne have retired but their children are carrying on their legacy. Their daughter has started her own business in Sevierville “Machine Quilting by Iva”, and their son owns the store on Broadway which opened approximately three years ago serving the Knox-Metro area.

Steve Osborne grew up participating in the family business, but in high school thought he wanted to do anything else. He joined the Navy after graduating, then met his wife, and the couple came back to Sevierville once his tour of duty was finished. Osborne started off helping his parents part-time in their Sevierville store, which grew into a full-time career, and he never left the family business again.

Osborne eventually bought the business from his parents, expanded by adding a West Knoxville store, and found being self-employed a wonderful way to raise and support his family. Working in sales and service came naturally to him, having been raised around customers and machines all his life. He enjoys meeting new people and new challenges, and that no two days are exactly alike. He does have quite a few regulars and enjoys keeping up with them on a personal level, including his parents! After trying the retirement scene in Florida, the elder Osbornes found that staying close to home and family and the business that provided for their family was where they most enjoy being.

Osborne’s advice to anyone considering going into business for themselves: Enjoy it! Coupling something you love to do with good people skills and a willingness to problem solve is a great pattern for stitching together a wonderful life. Most importantly, do something fun.

Osborne does not sew, although he does know how and also knows quite a bit about any kind of sewing or equipment. He enjoys watching the industry grow and change. He says what these machines can do today versus what they could do 20 years ago is AMAZING! For example, today’s commercial embroidery machines have up to 14 needles and can stitch up to a 14” design in a single hooping. In the past, the big trend of thread art was done by hand. The big trend now is quilting. A majority—from 60-75%—of sewers in the area are also quilters. Osborne is also beginning to see heirloom sewing coming back (think Christening/Wedding gowns).

Osborne gleefully stated he is in the store every business day and would be glad to help you.