Sew Much History

Six Decades of the Hokema’s Family Legacy…

Since 1964, Hokema’s Sewing and Vacuum Center on 2736 Bechelli Lane in Redding has maintained the same welcoming atmosphere accompanied by friendly faces who likely know more about vacuums and sewing machines than anyone else in the North State.
Born in 1924 in East Friesland, Germany, Hermann Hokema went to an agricultural school before going to Montreal, Canada, in the early 1950s, eventually migrating to the United States.

Hermann had a friend who did appliance repairs in Redding and began working for him, selling appliance parts. In the early 1960s, a guy from Eureka came over and sold them some vacuum cleaners, which is how Hermann segued into the vacuum business.

In 1964, Hermann and his wife Gerda opened Hokema’s Appliance on Yuba Street. In 1976, the Hokemas moved into a bigger space on Bechelli Lane, where they’ve been ever since. The Hokemas’ three sons — Hardy, Frank, and Michael — grew up in the business and manage it today.

Sometime in the 1980s, Hokema’s started selling sewing machines and managed to outlast Kmart. While Hermann sadly passed away in 2018, Gerda just turned 90 and still comes into the store. “I think she’s proud her name is still on the building and all three of her boys are here,” Hardy’s wife Christine says.

Hardy, the oldest, went to DeVry University and focused on electronics engineering, graduating with a bachelor’s degree and selling computer chip technologies to major companies across the United States. It was at a time when the technology revolution happened, affecting the vacuum and sewing machine industries. Armed with his knowledge and experience in electronics and computer chip manufacturing, Hardy returned to Hokema’s.

“I understand the technology and that’s what interests me in this business,” he says.

Hardy’s brother Michael started working at Hokema’s when he was 13, stocking shelves, dusting and fixing vacuums. While longtime Hokema’s customers called Hermann “Mr. Fix It,” they now often refer to Michael as “The Vacuum Whisperer.”

“I’ve seen people ask you very obscure questions about vacuums, and you always know exactly what they need,” Christine tells Michael.

Their other brother Frank and his wife, Kristi, ran a foster care home, helping at Hokema’s when they could. At a time when they were particularly short-handed, Hardy’s wife Christine joined the business. With a background in sales and crafting services, Christine had sewing machines at home but never really used them until she was introduced to Hokema’s, who carried the Baby Lock brand.

“I started going to Baby Lock sewing machine conventions and doing trainings and caught the bug. I found that I liked the business a lot,” she says. One winter, Christine made 12 3D cloth gingerbread houses and snuck over to Hokema’s to sew them together.

“I got hooked and then loved sewing,” says Christine. Even now, Hokema’s embroidery machines fascinate her. And Hokema’s has a robust quilting community, which is as old as the store itself.

“We go to all the quilt shows; many friendships have been formed in the quilting community. It’s multigenerational. People learn from their mom, who learned from her grandmother, and then we teach their daughters and granddaughters,” Hardy says. Hokema’s has been teaching sewing classes for at least 40 years now, and the adults who took classes there when they were younger are starting to bring their kids in.

“It’s the same customer with vacuums and sewing; we cater to 40-plus females,” Hardy says.

“If you’ve got carpet, you probably vacuum. And now we see families teaching their kids how to sew, wanting them to learn,” Michael adds.

Along with teaching classes with every machine it sells, Hokema’s stays up to date on manufacturing trends and is clear about what it can repair. Michael explains that newer vacuums and sewing machines are designed to be disposable, and when a part breaks during a warranty period then the manufacturer will just change out the whole machine.

“I always tell people my repair availability goes as far as part availability,” Michael says.

“Everything we have is in cast metal framing, metal hooks. With the newer models, one needle breaks in the plastic and the whole machine is done,” Christine adds.

“It’s bones versus cartilage,” Hardy says.

“When we sell a machine, we won’t abandon you. We service what we sell, and these are faces you will see again. You’ve got the history with us,” Christine says. •

Hokema’s Sewing and Vacuum Center
2736 Bechelli Lane, Redding • www.hokemas.net