74 Years Later Everett Vacuum Still Sucks
Editor’s Note: Originally Published April 11, 2018. Republished November 17, 2022.
Like the city it calls home, Everett Vacuum is an underdog, an unexpected success story.
In a day when consumable objects are mass-produced and made to be replaced, the small family business on Broadway is doing things the old-fashioned way: they fix things when they’re broken. And they do it quickly.
I recently stopped in to ask owners Mike and David Lane about how they’ve fared in the era of Amazon.
The father and son duo showed me around their shop.
The building is part house, part storefront. This is typical of a lot of smaller businesses on this stretch of Broadway Avenue.
The house behind Everett Vacuum dates from 1896. The storefront was added in the 1930s.
When the shop opened in 1944, Broadway was a dirt road and considered to be the main highway in town.
Everett Vacuum in 1944. The shop is still in the same location.
The Lanes keep their inventory stockpiled in the rooms of the old house. A large old dining room is now a vacuum component storage area filled with power brushes, filters, electronic switches, cords and motors.
An idea of the scope: the Lanes keep 300 varieties of vacuum belts in stock.
“Everett Vacuum proves that, with a little maintenance, good things can last.”
This is one key to their success. The repairmen of Everett Vacuum can service any make or model vacuum cleaner and do it quickly thanks to their large inventory. Most vacuums can be turned around in 24 hours.
David shows a German manufactured motor (left) versus a Chinese manufactured motor. Everett Vacuum sells US and German made vacuum cleaners designed to last for decades. They also repair cheaply-made vacuums for a reasonable price, saving their customers the expense of buying a whole new cleaner.
The family owns the building—this allows them to keep their overhead costs down. They can offer competitive prices.
I think part of Everett Vacuum's ongoing success is great customer service.
The Lanes are very personable, and while I was there they warmly engaged several customers who came into the shop. At one point in our conversation David’s grandma came in with treats. He hugged her.
This is a family business that obviously cares about what they’re doing. Everett Vacuum proves that, with a little maintenance, good things can last.
Here’s to another 74 years.
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Richard Porter writes for Live in Everett.
