National Clothesline

Frank Capo has worked relentlessly hard in the drycleaning industry for more than six decades with the same unflinching resolve that his fellow Pittsburghers often celebrate in their gridiron Steelers — a team tied with the New England Patriots for the most Superbowl wins with six.

The Drycleaning and Laundry Institute recently announced its 2021-2022 board of directors, which will include Bobby Patel, owner of Kona Cleaners of Costa Mesa, CA, as president.

Patel was born in a small farming village about 200 miles north of Mumbai, India. His grandfather wanted a better life for his family so he borrowed money for his sons to go to college. Patel’s father went on to become a public prosecutor in Zambia, Africa

Most employers in 2021 are having trouble finding employees to hire. This means that employers are more reluctant to discipline or discharge marginal workers, which is always bad for business and employee morale.

Failing to act against poor employees can cause productive employees to consider leaving, especially in a labor market where those productive workers can easily get work elsewhere.

We all know that there aren’t a lot of people vying for a job at anyone’s drycleaning plant. It’s a fact of our everyday lives. This article is not about changing that fact. Frankly, I cannot imagine what will ever change it. I doubt that there is anything on the horizon that will suddenly make working in the drycleaning business so glamorous that a queue of eager applicants will appear outside your door. There isn’t a secret magic trick that will cause this to happen in this article, either.

In my travels as a drycleaning mechanic, one of the more common complaints I hear is the loss of steam pressure caused by low water level in the boiler. Low water level can be caused by several different problems. In this and ensuing issues, I’ll be explaining how to find the cause/causes of low water faults

Today we will discuss the idea of scalability and how to create a business that can thrive without you. The hallmark of a valuable company is one that can run without you, which means if you can create a business that’s built to sell, you also have the option to hold on to it without the stress of running your company on a day-to-day basis. A valuable business is a sought-after asset, making it more likely that you will get an unsolicited offer for your business. This gives you negotiating leverage when you decide to sell.

Trying out different marketing approaches and strategies should be a basic part of every marketing plan. Trial and error is one of the ways we learn what works and what doesn’t.

One of the lessons that the challenges of the past 15 months has shown us is that what we need to be is adaptable, open to ideas and to learn from what we and others have done

Dye bleeding is a fairly common occurrence plaguing drycleaners. Dye bleeding can occur in drycleaning, wetcleaning or spotting.

It is important to pinpoint the source of the bleeding so proper remedies can be applied. Dye bleeding can occur due to several factors.

1. Poor dye fastness in manufacture. This means that the dyes are not properly applied or set during manufacture.

There are so many customer service tips, tricks and customer retention strategies out there that can either make you money or cost you money.

The challenge that we now face is trying to make the best decision to ensure proft and growth. So, what do you do?

Well, let’s take a look at the top five customer service retention trends we find that are working best in our industry.

This is my first article for National Clothesline so I will start out with an introduction. My name is Jerry Pozniak. I am a third generation drycleaner and the CEO of Jeeves New York. Jeeves is a worldwide luxury drycleaning firm with locations in 13 cities. My license covers the NYC area. I started working in my family’s “mom and pop” drycleaners in 1987 and acquired Jeeves in 2007. I can be reached at [email protected] or visit JeevesNY.com.

Last week, Door to Door Cleaners of California celebrated a notable distinction in Sacramento as State Senator Ben Allen honored the company by naming it the Small Business of the Year for the 26th Senate District.

The family business pivoted considerably during the pandemic to sew face masks for frontline medical workers. Overall, they produced more than 5,000 homemade masks in the first two months.

For drycleaners, the last year-and-a-half has proven to be endlessly challenging. It began with shutdowns and severe lifestyle changes for everyone, which resulted in massive customer shortages. Even when some customers started to trickle back more frequently, the global supply chain was disrupted enough to lead to supply shortages of everyday items needed by drycleaners — which, if you can find them these days, will cost you more. And now, on top of those shortages, there is a major labor shortage — the likes of which we have never seen before. The number of open jobs currently outnumber those who can fill them.