|
October 26, 2020
Neighbor Opinion
Help Save the Remaining Neighborhood Cleaners - Our Friends
By Henry Quillian III
Part of NBCA's mission is to provide a forum for matters of interest to residents of North Buckhead. Beginning with this opinion piece, we will publish occasional opinions from neighborhood residents.
Horrifyingly, our friendly neighborhood cleaners are either gone or dissipating. At the vegetable stand on Wieuca last week, I noticed that FABRICARE was boarded up. Then, I pulled the slowly mounting stack of already worn business shirts and took it to Presstine, my cleaners since 1991. It’s owner, Young Lim, took me outside and shared that cleaners around the neighborhood were vanishing at an alarming rate while others were scaling back operations dramatically – in hopes of surviving.
According to Mr. Lim, in addition to Wieuca’s FabriCare, other regional cleaners have gone out of business or are extremely strained. My Favorite Cleaners left the shopping center with Tuxedo Pharmacy to move elsewhere. While a bit further out, the phone rings dead at a number of dry cleaners in the region.
I drove around a bit to see what cleaners seemed to be doing to survive. Services have been cut back mainly in the realm of production days and with fewer employees. Enrique Posada, owner of EZ One Price Cleaners on Roswell Road near Chastain Square Shopping Center, indicates fewer days of production and many fewer employees. Similarly, Mr. Lim informed me that Presstine had resorted to reducing the number of days of “production” down to three days a week from six days per week. Moreover, Presstine’s business hours have shrunk by two and one-half hours per day – a hit to convenience and employment.
To me, cleaners are a critical part of our infrastructure, especially for affluent neighborhoods like ours where people need to look sharp and smell clean to carry on business. Even more, the owners and employees of our cleaners are our friends. People we see and share good will with several times a month, during normal times.
So, let’s rally and clean, clean, clean. Do you have a suit or dress that needs to be pressed for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or New Years Eve? How about some slacks that look pretty wrinkled or creased? Shirts with that salsa stain on the bay window area. Get them cleaned now!
No matter what you have in your closet, stop by your neighborhood cleaner and let them know that you care. Express what time frame you are willing to accept from drop off to pick up. Help them stay alive.
_______________
Other Notes:
Have you seen the brand new NBCA Magazine?. It's awesome! If not, just Click Here!
The NBCA Membership Campaign is in full swing. If you are not already a member then please:
JOIN NOW!
NBCA Communications Committee
We send communications to NBCA members. Thank you for your membership!
|
