For the past three years, Paul Chang has owned Sunset Sewing & Vacuum Center.

He is forthright.

“I like the repairs. I have a talent to fix machines.”

Paul learned his craft from the previous owner of Sunset Sewing & Vacuum Center, Jerry Steven.

After emigrating from Taiwan in 1990, to San Francisco, Paul spent six years in the hotel industry for both Travel Lodge and Super 8. He worked as both a reservations manager and night manager. At one point Paul had three jobs, two in hotels and one as a part-time salesman for a furniture company.

He would walk by Sunset Sewing & Vacuum Center and inquire about a job. The owner, Jerry was reluctant to hire Paul, as he had no prior repair service, but he was eager to learn. He quit two of his jobs and became an apprentice. For ten years he was an employee before purchasing Sunset Sewing & Vacuum Center. He smiles with gratitude.

“I’ve spent half my life here.”

When Paul gets very busy and inundated with repairs, he calls Jerry and coerces his former boss out of semi-retirement to repair a sewing machine or vacuum cleaner with the hands that taught Paul.

He chuckles when he says,

“Now he works for me.”

Paul admits that he learned customer service skills while in the hotel industry and that these skills serve him well today.

“I have all kinds of customers- young, old, Black, White, and Asian. We have fun.”

It is the daily conversations with customers that bring Paul the most joy. It is about connection and sharing.

“I can get knowledge that I didn’t know. Some people talk about their tree and how they are helping it grow and flower. Other people talk about their pets. Some people talk about their lawyers.”

I ask Paul about the Kirby vacuum cleaner which is the vacuum I grew up with.

“It’s still good, but too heavy and it’s hard to get parts.”

What we liked about the Kirby is that you could vacuum a sock, even a shirt and the Kirby kept working. No suction was lost. I don’t tell Paul that our vacuum was bought, “on-time” and Nick the Repo man came to retrieve the vacuum. My mother gave an operatic performance and let’s just say the Repo man became our Saint Nick. But that’s another story.

Paul has three favorite vacuum cleaners- The Dyson from England, Miele from Germany and Oreck, which is American made.

“With a Dyson you never need belts or bags and the filter is washable.”

Paul is the Dyson representative for San Francisco and Sunset Sewing & Vacuum is the Warranty Center for both Miele and Oreck.

In his home, the Chang family has a Miele vacuum.

“With other vacuums, I sneeze or tear up. The Miele has a hepa filter. It’s very good for allergies.”

Paul also sells and repairs Singer and Juki sewing machines.

This repairman has become so skilled at his craft, but some customer requests have taken Paul off guard.

“People have asked me to fix their lamp, their toaster, even their oven. In the beginning, I didn’t want to, and then I said, why not? I’ll try it.”

Proudest accomplishment?

“When something is broken and nobody can fix it, and I fix it.”

Today, Paul has four employees and he wants his customers to know,

“We’re not just selling a product, we’re selling service. We treat our customers like family.”

NEXT WEEK: MEET DIANE AMOS, ACTRESS, COMEDIENNE AND THE PINE SOL LADY.