ZIPS Cleaners announced that its franchisees Mike Kaplan and Jason Stelter, operating as KapStel LLC, have signed a 10-year lease to bring the nationally expanding brand to Urbana, MD. Expected to open in Spring 2026, the 1,600-square-foot location will be part of a new phase of the retail area in Village Square at Urbana.
The new location will be a ZIPS “drop” location, a designation given to ZIPS Cleaners stores where customers can drop off and retrieve items closer to home.
Drop stores allow ZIPS Cleaners franchisees to cover more territory without the larger investment required to equip and house a full-service processing “plant.”
Urbana franchisee Mike Kaplan owns and operates a full-service ZIPS Cleaners plant in Germantown. He is partnering with that store’s general manager, Jason Stelter, in the new Urbana store.
“This new store’s debut will be momentous on multiple levels,” said Michael Waintraub, national director of franchise and business development for ZIPS Cleaners. “In addition to expanding our national footprint, it will bring our brand to another flourishing area of Maryland. It also represents for both Mike and Jason the growth opportunities our franchise program offers. We look forward to celebrating with them and to bringing our brand to Urbana next year.”
“I’m excited to be expanding with ZIPS,” added Kaplan. “The drop store model offers a cost-effective way for us to grow in the market and to more fully leverage our investment in equipment and labor in Germantown.”