Keith Quimby recently opened a vacuum sales and repair shop in Heber. The opening was a restoration of sorts.

First, because he took over an existing business and radically transformed it. Formerly Sew & Vac Sales and Service at 131 North Main Street, Quimby completely redesigned the interior and focus of the store.

The new name is Vacuum Villa & Sewing. If a customer wants a vacuum repaired, they’ll repair it. He wants to sell new vacuums, but not more than he wants to satisfy a customer, he said.

The multiple brands of vacuums he sells are top of the line. His showroom resembles a gallery as it shows off Riccar, Sanitaire, Panasonic, Royal and commercial Hoover vacuums.

The second reason the opening was a restoration has to do with family history. Vacuum Villa in Heber is his company’s second location. The first is in Ogden and was opened in 1949 by Quimby’s father-in-law H. Don Gidley, who was born and raised in Park City, as was his father George Gidley.

When he saw the store, previously owned by Ken Rudolph, was for sale, Quimby jumped on it. It has been fun to take what Gidley started back to the Wasatch Back, he said.

Because Quimby does not want to lose any of Rudolph’s customers, the new store continues to service sewing machines and will soon sell new ones.

“We’re looking forward to expanding and carrying a full line of sewing machines,” he added.

Quimby said he’s seen a lot of vacuum shops go out of business in the recession, but he isn’t worried. They failed because they were pushing products instead of customer service. repairing old ones and selling new ones, Vacuum Villa can satisfy anyone’s demands. Because of that, his business is “recession proof,” he said.

“We have also introduced a lot of new services and products like carpet shampoo rentals. We also sell and service portable carpet shampoo (machines),” he said.

Quimby also expects to do a lot of business with central vacuum systems. Many homes in the area have them, but the owners don’t use them because they aren’t happy with the system works. That’s because developers skimp on the type of system they install and either use cheap machines or motors too small for the home. Having the right equipment makes a central system superior, he said. They better remove dirt and germs from the home.

Quimby was originally an electrical engineer but said he loves fixing vacuums, because it’s rewarding work.

Vacuum Villa & Sewing

131 North Main Street, Heber

435-657-0429