GLOVERSVILLE —Hanspeter Ueltschi — the fourth generation owner of sewing machine manufacturer BERNINA International — will visit the Gloversville Sewing Center on Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in celebration of BERNINA’s 125th anniversary.
During his visit to the authorized BERNINA dealer, Ueltschi will discuss the history and innovations of the company, meet guests, pose for photos and autograph machines. To celebrate the company’s anniversary, guests at the sewing center will enjoy refreshments and special pricing on BERNINA machines, accessories and software.
Founded in Switzerland in 1893, BERNINA manufactures state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers and embroidery software. Products are designed for beginning to advanced sewers and priced to meet a variety of budgets. New products are introduced every year.
BERNINA products are sold in the U.S. through a network of over 400 trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education.
Gloversville Sewing Center offers BERNINA sewing machines, software and accessories and provides a variety of sewing, embroidery and quilting classes for people of all skill levels.
Gloversville Sewing Centers owner Diana Marshall said that Ueltschi is very well known in the sewing world and compared his visit to receiving the Queen of England.
“We’re very excited to have him at the store, that’s for sure, because it’s a great honor,” Marshall said Wednesday. “It’s a pretty big deal.”
Marshall noted that Ueltschi, a Switzerland native, will only be visiting a few stores while he is in the U.S. before going to the BERNINA of America headquarters in Chicago. The city sewing center will be his first stop upon arrival.
Marshall surmised that the Gloversville Sewing Center would be his first stop as the store has been the largest BERNINA dealer from Virginia to Maine for the last three to four years.
According to Marshall, the store’s level of business far exceeds the manufacturer’s expectations based on the location in upstate New York and Fulton County’s population size.
“I’m sure he wants to see how we do the business we do,” Marshall said. “I hope that’s the reason he’s here.”
Marshall noted that the majority of her customers own BERNINA units due to their superior quality, making Ueltschi’s visit a unique and interesting opportunity to meet the man behind the machine.
Currently BERNINA is the only European manufacturer of sewing machines and the family owned company has maintained the quality of their merchandise over the years Marshall said. She added that her shop repairs many machines as well, but she rarely sees BERNINA units as they hold up well over time.
In recognition of the company’s 125th anniversary, the sewing center will be selling two limited edition items; BERNINA’s Anniversary Gold 530 Sewing Machine and golden reverse pattern Anniversary Foot.
Ueltschi, the BERNINA International owner, will be at the Gloversville Sewing Center located at 385 S. Main St. Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the sewing center’s other location at 426 Maple Ave., Saratoga Springs, from 2-4 p.m. This event is open to the public and free to attend.
