Long ago, sewing machines were so popular that you could run an entire business just on selling and repairing sewing machines. In Sapulpa, there’s perhaps been no more recognizable name than Williams Sewing Center.
Tommy Williams moved his family to Sapulpa in 1952 to work at the Singer Sewing Machine dealership at 17 North Main St. In 1955, Tommy went to a Singer dealership in El Reno, Oklahoma. During those years, he was a door-to-door salesman of Singer Sewing Machines. Approximately a year later, Tommy was given the opportunity to be the manager at the Sapulpa dealership. Ellen Crenshaw was a bookkeeper and taught sewing classes with the purchase of a new machine. In 1957, Singer closed the store and Tommy went to work as a “rural serviceman.”
He was tasked with repairing new machines at Brown Dunkin in Tulsa. In 1958, Mr. Williams and Ellen Crenshaw opened a Singer dealership at the old address of 17 N. Main St. Somewhere between 1962 and 1963, Tommy sold his half of the business to Ellen. Tommy then opened a sewing machine dealership, selling Dressmaker and Universal-branded sewing machines along with used furniture. A few years later, the Singer regional manager asked Tommy if he would like to take over the dealership that Ellen Crenshaw was operating. Ellen Crenshaw then went into the furniture business.
Sometime in the mid-sixties, Bob Bullock, who operated a furniture store at 100 N. Main (northwest corner of Main and Hobson), offered Tommy a space inside the store for his sewing machine business. Bob wanted someone to run the store so he and his wife Alice could have free time to take trips. In lieu of rent, Tommy watched the store for Bob and Alice.
By the end of the sixties, Bob said he needed the space and asked Tommy to find his own place. Tommy Williams then moved across the street to 101 North Main St. (northeast corner of Main and Hobson, which is now the parking lot to Farmers Feed Store).
When J.E. Williams graduated college in 1971, he went to work for his father Tommy Williams. I asked J.E. how they wound up in the used car business. He said that in 1987, they had four company vehicles for sale. They put them out front and sold them quickly. They thought if it was that easy to sell their vehicles, why not get a used car license and open up a lot. In 1989, they bought the building at 24 North Main (the old Ray Martin Motors) at the southwest corner of Main and Hobson).
J.E. told me a humorous story about an employee of the family business. They had a fellow named Tommy Williams (no relation) working for them as a delivery person. Many years ago, when the employee, Tommy Williams, was a young lad, the owner, Tommy Williams, got a call one night from a deputy sheriff. He said, “I’ve got your boy in my car. He was riding calves that belonged to the Roundup Club.” Tommy went into the bedroom and checked on J.E., who was sound asleep. J. E.’s father said, “My boy is asleep in his bed. Who have you got there?” The sheriff replied, “Tommy Williams.” Mr. Williams told the sheriff that was Marianne Williams’ boy and told him where they lived.
J.E.’s father died in 1992, and J.E. continued to operate the store with the help of family members. Through the years, J.E. sold and serviced major brands of vacuum cleaners and sold 18 different brands of mattresses. They lost the Singer dealership in 2002, having had the distinction of being the second oldest Singer dealership in Oklahoma.
Singer closed all dealerships across the nation except in major markets. J.E. closed the business in 2015, subsequently selling the building to Michael Jones. Mr. Jones builds retro gasoline station gas pumps. Jones has spent six years renovating the building and is expected to open the new Gasoline Alley store in the summer of 2021.
