Andy Weter here. I LOVE this website. It's so good to see so many old friends on here.

I'm sorry I've been so out of touch with many of you, but these past few years have been crazy for me! But now I have my own vacuum store, which I am JUST about finished remodeling, and things are going well. The old owner of my store was a Hoover, Eureka, and DD warranty center. I've dropped Eureka and DD, but I think I'm gonna keep Hoover. Can't wait until my service center gets the new Connie.
As far as new machines go, I carry Sebo, Miele, Royal, Sanitaire, Dyson, and low end Hoover. Each machine has qualities which are matched to the customers needs, but I must admit, I am partial to the Miele. The new S4's and S5's are a work of art.

Anyway, I can't wait to catch up with you all!

Andy

Hey all. I don't know how smoothly this will go, but I'm gonna try and post pics of my store.

These are all "before" pics. I've since done a large amount of remodeling, and once I finish, I'll post the "afters"

-A-

This is (was) just as you walk in the front door.

some of these didn't even work. None had hoses. I have no clue what he thought he was gonna do with them.

This is the second showroom. What little new stuff he had was in here. I'm in the process of turning it into the museum!

I wanted to just completely knock out this wall and have one giant showroom, but it's a load bearing wall, so I will have to put up with it.

self explanatory

Great to see that you found the new site! Congratulations on your store, I'm glad it finally happened for you! Also, congrats on your column in the VDTA--of which I'm a faithful follower! :-)

~Fred

PS... The new connie is fabulous! You're gonna just *swoon* when you get them!

Hi Andy

Nice store and vacuums You have. Good luck in your new venture

Skip...

PS: I want the new brush stainless steal one

Hi Andy, Welcome aboard and nice store you have and yes I can't wait myself as I want a new constellion myself I want the new brush stainless steel one

Skip...

I didn't mean to post twice but my first p[ost never showed up on my computer

Skip...

I just got done looking at all your pics. Your Hoover display is out of this world. The manager of my Hoover service center (where I order all my parts from) said that he thought the Connie would be Hoovers best canister in a long time. I can't wait til they get in. I've dropped Dirt Devil, and I'm very close to dropping Eurekalux, but I must say that Hoover has been WONDERFUL to deal with. The issues with some of the newer machines (Savvy, Dual V Steamvac) can be a pain, but the guys are always friendly and the service is super fast.

Thanks for reading the articles, though I must say, I've been so busy these past few months that they haven't exactly been quality, but oh well, what can you do.

Can't wait to see you and everyone again.

Th

Andy,

I read last month's VDTA where you talk about having a bag assembly for a Mr. Vac, that you sold to a customer who wanted it. If the Mr. Vac in question, is like the one in the tiny little picture that was in the article; the cover of the book that came with your new shop, the machine should be nothing more than a Singer Twin Fan with a "private lable" badge.

The bag assembly that you describe is commonplace on all commercial Singers and Kenmores from the 70's and early 80's. A metal clampslide on top, and one on the bottom. Although in your description, you say that the bag had a "boxtop"...???

Well as you know, Singer had a few boxtop bag model's thru the 1970's and until they quit vacuums in their SSC (Singer Sewing Center)stores around 1983-84...but mostly were reserved for TOL pieces like my Dual-Speed Golden Powermaster Model U-59, and subsequently thu the end of the Sewing Center models mentioned previously.

Then again, you said it reminded you of a Dirt Devil bag as well... what did you find out???

Chad

Ann Arbor Vacuum

Hi Andy.
Congrats on your own store!
Do you remember the VacWeb site? I used to post on there before it closed down.

Good to hear from you!

Yes, this bag had a distinct box top. God I shoulda just kept the damn thing. If I remember correctly, the front and the top were black leather. The rest of the bag was red with multiple black "Mr. Vac" Logos, which resembled the coloring of a Dirt Devil Bag.

You are right, Singer made these uprights under the Mr. Vac label.

Rob, yes I remember you and the website. I don't remember what your favorite machines are though.

Hey Andy!

Your store looks great! I sure would like to know what it takes to get something like this put together. I always wanted to own a vacuum store I've got a great location in mind but I don't know how to get started.

I had first started out of my home, doing repairs, and selling what I could. Mainly rebuilt Rainbows and some central vacs.

I was EXTREMELY fortunate to encounter the opportunity to buy this store. If I had started from scratch, I don't think I could have made it in this day and age. If I were you, I would check in your area to see if there are any current vac shop owners who are getting ready to retire, or who want to go into a different business. I purchased this store for what it would have taken me to set up on my own.

This is a broad subject, and I'm sure you have many questions as I once did, so let me know what I can answer for you. The one thing that I will say for sure is that in each person's geographic area, there are different market dynamics, buying habits, etc. and you should tailor your business to accomodate those, and not rely on a set formula.

-A-

Here are my favorite machines:
Kirby G series/Sanitaire/Eureka old style/Hoover Convertible and Concept.

I have a 1991 Kirby G3 with attachments and shampooer and a 2004 Kirby Ultimate G Diamond Edition with attachments and shampooer and ZippBrush.

Andy,

Your new shop looks awesome, congratulations! I have to admit that Royal dealers are the most fun to visit because of the sheer quantity of beautiful, shiny chrome machines all lined up. Can't wait to see the "after" photos!

I read the Mr. Vac article as well...very interesting. Of course I've never heard of one either; all of those twin-fan Singer/Ryobi machines are very obscure to me. Do you have the picture of the machine; I'm somewhat curious as to how it looks.

--Austin

Link for those who haven't seen it...

hey andy that is a great looking store.. now I know where i can call to get some royal bags.. ( no vac shops) here in my town most are 200 miles away but would rather deal with a vccc member... Kirbykid

Hey Andy,
Congratulations and good luck on your new venture. Enjoyed the pictures, and can't wait to see the "after" pictures--especially of the museum area!!
Jeff

Andy:Your vacuum cleaner-cleaning supply store is very nice-wish we had that out here-The pictures make me feel like the "child in a candy store"Love the Royals!!!And the shelf of Compacts!

Your shop looks very nice! Would love to see what you have done with the place. Where you able to create your museum room?

What a great looking store and lots of room it looks like to try out the various machines. That's always been an annoyance in my mind that most places, even some vac stores, don't make it easy to try one out let alone plug it in.