National Dry Cleaners Inc., which could be called the most recent attempt at a national dry cleaning chain, has filed for bankruptcy asset protection. The national dry cleaning chain had more than 231 stores in nine different states. The company cited increased energy costs along with court costs associated with environmental clean-up as two of the main reasons that the company was unable to service it’s debt to it’s creditors.

The company was known for it’s aggressive acquisition of local, well respected dry cleaners. The companies failure to establish a sustainable national dry cleaning business is, in my opinion, the latest example of Americans rejection of large centralized dry cleaning power. Dry cleaning is one of the most sparsely owned and operated businesses in the U.S. and I think this is the latest example of the U.S. market rejecting attempts for consolidated power in the hands of a few. I have often wondered why dry cleaning, as an industry, was so sparsely owned but being in the industry for over two years now I think that it is one of the last major industries in which customers want to patron a place where “everybody knows your name”. I have often pondered why this is so and I think there’s a number of different reasons, but three specifically

3 Reasons National Dry Cleaning Businesses Fail

1) First and foremost I think that people are very particular about who handles their clothes and would simply trust an owner/operated dry cleaner much more than a national chain. Dry cleaning, which is well documented as one of the largest independently owned and operated industries in U.S., is a very personal business. Some people spend thousands of dollars on their wardrobes and would prefer to see someone across the counter that has a vested interest in making sure their clothes come back looking great, not to mention all accounted for, as opposed to a 17 yr. kid making $7 hr.

2) The second reason is a logistical one. One of the largest questions I get all the time is “do you do all cleaning on site”. Just speaking with customers I have heard horror stories about cusomters bringing their clothes to stores that don’t do all dry cleaning and laundry on site. This one is obvious because once you start bringing your clothes to other locations you run a greater risk of losing items during the transport.

Austin Cleaners Does All Cleaning on Site

3) The third and final reason I think it has been so hard to form a national chain is because in the world of large box stores and consolidated business ownership people see dry cleaning as one of the last bastions of small business ownership.

Although this is just the opinion of a proud independently owned and operated dry cleaner I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t like to see the rejection of large consolidated business power spread to other industries.

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