About us

Guy’s Naaicentrum was founded in April 1982. The story begins decades earlier, in the 1930s. Désiré Van der Vorst, the maternal grandfather of founder Guy, started trading in the Waasland markets with merchandise such as buttons, sewing thread, zippers, etc, to sell. Later he also starts a shop in the Slangstraat in Hamme.

Two of his three daughters, Annie (Guy’s mother) & Irène, later join the company with their respective husbands. Irène and Etienne successfully ran the shop in Hamme until 1997. Between the 1960s and 2005 Annie, Jozef and son Guy sold an extremely extensive range of high-quality sewing materials on the markets in Waasland and Dendermonde.

In 1982 Guy starts in the sewing machines. With a technical background as a background, he starts training with the most renowned sewing machine manufacturers of the time: Husqvarna in Huskvarna, Sweden on the one hand, and Pfaff in Kaiserslautern, Germany on the other. He learns all the basic elements to repair and adjust a machine. During the same period, he meets Chris, his future wife. Soon Chris, meanwhile his wife, begins to learn many tricks of the sewing trade from Guy.

During that period, Guy’s Sewing Center was located at 2 Plezantstraat in the center of Hamme. With the extensive range they already had at the time, they quickly proved to be an established value in the Waasland and beyond. Guy’s Sewing Center is bursting at the seams for the first time and a brand new store is opened in 1987 in the Roodkruisstraat. In the meantime, in addition to all possible sewing materials, from embroidery and overlock threads to an unprecedented range of zippers to scissors, various brands of machines have also been added to the range: the Japanese top manufacturers Babylock and Janome (then marketed in Belgium under the brand name Lewenstein). ) join the range. In the mid-1990s, the store was expanded for the first time with an underground warehouse, extra large showroom annex classroom and computers for software lessons. A few years later, the quality brand Bernina is also added to the range.

At the end of 2004, the range was expanded to such an extent that a new expansion was necessary. The new building with adjoining shop is being built in record time. In less than 12 months, Guy’s Sewing Center has doubled in size. Quilting fabrics, gems from Gütermann & Swarovski and an even more extensive range of handicraft items, such as knitting yarns from quality brands Lana Grossa, Rowan and Schachenmayr, further complete the range. With the sewing machines, the Japanese brand Juki completes the unparalleled selection of overlock machines and the quality brand Bernina is also included in the range.

From the autumn of 2012, his son Joris also joined the family business as the 4th generation in the sewing sector. He gradually learns the trade from both his father Guy and mother Chris as well as from the countless courses he regularly follows: he follows the lessons of Pfaff & Husqvarna VIKING, Bernina’s 3-4-5-7 series and the countless Janome- models, but also of all brands of overlock machines. Embroidery software and the multi-needle Janome MB-4/MB-7 series also hold no secrets for him.

In 2017, the decision was taken to tear down the adjacent building on the other side and build a completely new store: spacious, modern and light are the keywords here. Demolition will start in July 2017. After a tour de force, Guy’s Sewing Center 2.0 will open its doors in August 2018. An extra spacious showroom, much more light and space in all areas, efficient quality lamps to give the most true-to-colour image of the products,… Everything has been thought of. There is also a spacious classroom for the private lessons of the machines and workshops. The new store has a low carbon footprint in relation to its size:

large solar panel installation,
exceptionally economical LED lamps,
warehouse lighting sensors,
efficient and powerful ventilation,
heat pumps for heating and cooling,
using rainwater for the toilet.
The range of knitting wool and fabrics will be further expanded at that time. Lana Grossa even distinguishes Guy’s Sewing Center as a Lana Grossa Superstore.

Our permanent team of people now consists of Guy, Chris, Joris, Hilde, Anita, Liesbeth & Lore. Fixed points of contact to offer you the best possible service, each with its own specialty.

Far and wide, in East Flanders, Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, we are known for our customer-friendly service, clear explanations without buzzing marketing terms, large stock, unparalleled range. Guy’s Sewing Center is therefore the one-stop-shop for everything that has to do with sewing, needlework, knitting, ….

You read it. Passion and knowledge for and of our profession, it has been in our blood for generations. Since the 1930s, we have distinguished ourselves with the choice for

Our store

Sewing machines Stael is a family business with more than 70 years of experience. The 3rd generation is currently at the helm. We are specialized in the repair of sewing machines (all brands) in our own workshop. We also sell sewing machines, fabrics, knitting wool, haberdashery, handicrafts, fashion accessories (handbags, jewellery, stockings,…) and much more. If you can’t find it with us, you won’t find it anywhere!

Shop opening hours:

Mon: Closed
Tues: 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm
Wed: 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm
Thurs: 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm
Fri: 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm
Sat: 9am-12pm & 2pm-5pm
Sun: Closed