Spring 2025

Tom Howe in his welcoming Carmel Rancho store where he sells top-of-the-line vacuums and appliances and will happily repair just about anything. Y es, Carmel Vacuum & Appliance owner Tom Howe sells those essential items from quality manufacturers such as Miele and SEBO. He’s done so for nearly three decades from his Carmel Rancho location, but this shop is much more than an appliance store. In some ways it’s a throwback. In years past when a household item went on the blinO, an %merican consumer’s first instinct was to take it to the local repair shop. Those types of businesses are now few and far between—but Howe has carved a thriv- ing niche in repairing just about anything that comes through his door ±-J - can, -’ll fi\ it,² he says. Shelves are groaning with devices waiting to be brought back to life: toasters, coffee maOers, mi\ers, lamps, printers, vacuums°even a walker that needed a new wheel. The business has its roots in the San Clemente repair shop Howe’s uncle founded in the 1960s. “He opened this shop on San Carlos in Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1983. I took over in and moved here ² ,o[e says But don’t be mistaken: this shop maintains a thriving sales business in appliances and vacuums. “We sell washers, dryers, dish- washers, vacuums—nearly all the appliances a home needs ² Carmel Vacuum & Appliance is located at 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Suite E-101, in Carmel. For more information, call 831/624-4018 or visit www.carmelvacuum.com . Carmel Shop Can Repair Near ly Anything B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD SHORT CUTS BUSINESS 76 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 Photo: Kelli Uldall