It’s only fitting for the “Best Dry Cleaners in Indy” to have stores and pickup/delivery routes in three of the nation’s “Best Places to Live.” With stores in Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville, Indiana, you might say Classic Cleaners is in all the right places. 

It’s the right time, too, because:

• Money Magazine’s August issue ranks the town of Fishers #8 on its “Top Ten Best Places to Live” list, citing Fishers’ low unemployment and its affordable housing. Classic Cleaners Store has a store at 11501 Geist Pavilion Road) and one at 9538 E. 126th St. in Fishers, with the  Westfield store (14635 N. Gray Rd.) just at Fisher’s western edge.
  
• Meanwhile, the city of Carmel won the Number 14 spot on the Money Magazine list. The article highlighted Carmel’s arts and leisure opportunities and its outstanding math and reading school test scores. Classic Cleaners has no fewer than five stores in Carmel: 5790 E. 131st St., 14550 Clay Terrace Blvd, 9893 N. Michigan Rd), 12707 Meetinghouse Rd.), and 12560 No. Meridian St..
  
• When it comes to retirement, Noblesville is golden”, writes Tom Spalding in the Indianapolis Star, noting that Noblesville was named to MSN’s Sperling’s Best Places. Another accolade for Noblesville was being finalist for the National Civic League’s All-American City Award.

Wherever you live in and around Indianapolis and its northern suburbs, you can take advantage of Classic Cleaners’ free home pick up and delivery services.  From Fortville on the east to Pittsboro on the west, all the way to Cicero on the north, and down to 42nd Street on the south, Classic Cleaners casts a wide net of customer service.

Since 1985, Classic Cleaners has taken pride in its reputation for high quality dry cleaning and laundry along with its superlative customer service.  With all the awards and praise for Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville, Classic Cleaners can be proud of the company locations it keeps!

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Andretti Race Team uniforms at Classic Cleaners

When the Andretti Auto Sports racing team was looking for the best dry cleaners in Indianapolis to take care of their racing uniforms, their manager made it clear they meant the best green dry cleaners in Indianapolis.

Since the Andretti team is highly environmentally conscious, their managers were happy to learn that Classic Cleaners was the first dry cleaners in Indianapolis to earn the designation Certified Environmental Drycleaner from the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute.

Classic Cleaners veteran Lorraine Rork (manager of the Bash Street store) took the lead on the ambitious project, organizing the pickup and delivery of the garments. The specialty laundering job includes 75 fire suits along with special flame-resistant underclothes and socks for the race team, plus nearly 200 garments for pit crews and other Andretti staff.  Golf shirts for the team are turned in with each order along with the uniforms.

Each of the Andretti garments is labeled with an individual’s name, beginning with the four principal drivers Tony Kaanan, Danika Patrick, Marco Andretti, and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The racing uniforms are made of a polyester-like, quite heavy, flame-retardant fabric called Nomex.  The undergarments and special socks are made of a special cream-colored cotton fabric (Now you know the “inside story”!).

Lorraine Rork considers the Andretti assignment one of the most exciting she’s handled in her more than twelve years with Classic Cleaners.  She’s become a regular racing fan, keeping track of the Andretti Auto Sports team’s latest two July competitions in Canada, and looking forward to cheering them on (from her Bash Street desk) as they compete in Lexington, Ohio next week and in Sonoma, California and Joliet, Illinois later this month.

It’s always a race for the Andretti team. Meanwhile, though, Classic Cleaners takes extra time and special care to protect the environment while producing top-quality cleaning results. It’s not easy being green, but Classic Cleaners knows how important it is to constantly monitor environmental issues and best practices.

It’s a green light all the way to the finish line for the team of Andretti Auto Sports and Classic Cleaners!

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Ring the Bottle

It was come one, come all at the Summer Festival last Friday

Classic Cleaners Store  combined efforts with neighbor merchants at Bridgewater (146th St. and Gray Road) and with other area businesses to offer kids and parents a good time.  

Classic Cleaners Store #14 Manager Misty Elliott

Complete with a “bouncy houses”,  pony rides, and carnival games, the festival offered fun for family members of all ages, with plenty of pizza and Sno Cones available for purchase. (Oops! Dripped Sno Cone color or pizza sauce on your clothes? No worry – you didn’t have far to go to find dry cleaning experts to come to your rescue!) 

In addition to Classic Cleaners, participating sponsors included Gilmore Chiropractic, Fleming Family Dentistry, Cool River Pizza, Bridgewater Café, Walgreen’s, F&M Jolly Trolley Sno Cones, and the Primrose School at Bridgewater. 

Family festivals are always fun, but, invariably hard on kids’ clothes. Even washable garments need to have stains treated before they’re put into the laundry.  The weekend following the Summer Festival proved a great time for families to try out our Classic Cleaners’ Fluff and Fold laundry service, the perfect solution for families with high volumes of laundry and – not enough time! 

Pizza grease on shorts?  Tomato sauce on shirts? Blue Sno-Cone color on everything from socks

Sno Cones for everyone

to skorts? Our Classic Cleaners’ professionals are used to seeing it all following a festival.  After applying our gentle but highly effective laundering methods, we had fun folding and organizing clothes of every size and color into beautifully finished and folded piles – all ready for family fun activities to come! 

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Classic Cleaners' Unipress machine

CLASSIC CLEANERS SPRING SHIRT SPECIAL

50% OFF  ALL MEN’S OR WOMEN’S SHIRTS 

BROUGHT  IN TO BE LAUNDERED AND MACHINE-PRESSED 

JUNE 1 THROUGH JUNE 7

 Styles and trends in men’s dress shirts have changed over the years, fashion expert Andrew Stratton points out. “A crisp, stark-white shirt will probably not impress a potential employer as much as it might make you look like a waiter,” he adds.  “Choose palettes that compliment your complexion and eye coloring”  is Stratton’s advice.

At Classic Cleaners we launder shirts of every possible shade, style, and fabric.  And, while in general, men’s clothing tends to be much more casual and relaxed than in times past, there’s nothing like a crisply pressed dress shirt to spruce up a gentleman’s appearance.

Do you wear your shirts the classic way, tucked in and buttoned up with a tie?  Perhaps you prefer a  “dapper gentleman” look, with the shirt tucked inside a sweater.  The “modern way” might consist of an un-tucked long-sleeved shirt worn open-collared under a sport coat.

Can you believe thirty five years have passed since John T. Molloy published the book Dress For Success?  We leave it to our Classic Cleaners customers to decide whether Molloy’s advice is outdated when it comes to men’s business attire.  “You will never, ever, as long as you live,” Molloy practically shouted from Page 86 of his book, “wear a short-sleeve shirt for any business purpose…”

You’ll see many different styles, and hear many different opinions about the most appropriate ways for men to wear dress shirts.  Whatever your preference, our skilled technicians devote special care to helping you look your very best.

Our newest Unipress shirt machine (operated here by Classic Cleaners technician Johana Duque) wet-presses the shirt’s sleeves, torso and collar simultaneously, with inspection and touch-ups by hand to follow.  The result: With every button in place, the perfectly pressed, starched-to-order shirt is ready to help seal a business deal, clinch a job interview, or attract compliments at the most elegant party!

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Even though the framed needlepoint brought into her Carmel dry cleaning store proved too delicate for even the professionals at Classic Cleaners to risk hand cleaning it, manager April Tillberry keeps a photo of the piece on her cell phone. The needlepoint’s message might have been written just for her:

                           “Put  your big girl panties on and deal with it!”

"Big Girl Panties" Needlepoint

Just seven short years ago, the 26-year old, 267-pound young woman found herself in dire straits, with no means to support herself and her two children.  Lacking transportation and job training, April saw a bleak future ahead. Determined to find a way to “deal with it”, April resolved to make something of herself despite all the obstacles.  Putting on her “big girl panties”, she began working at a fast food restaurant.

As fate would have it, April’s mom, Lorraine Rork, manager at Classic Cleaners’  Bash Street store, needed a counter person. The amazing turnaround tale had begun…

In her first years with Classic Cleaners, April pared down to 135 pounds while making good on her promise to herself and her daughters to become self-sufficient. Tillberry became Classic Cleaners’ primary trainer, and manager of the Hazel Dell Carmel Classic Cleaners store. “I love my store,” she declares proudly. “This is where I needed to be. Classic allowed me to have a whole new life.”

Wednesdays are a special joy and a special challenge for April, because Wednesday is the “special” day at the Hazel Dell and 131st Street store, with skirts and slacks cleaned for $5.99 (instead of $7.19) and business shirts laundered for $2.20 (instead of the usual $2.69).    In between processing clothing brought in for cleaning and laundry, manning the desk, and organizing the store, April greets customers with a smile, calling each by name, finding out the story behind each stain.

April Tillberry, now a trim 33-year old, has taken on a big Classic Cleaners job and is certainly dealing with it in style.  Three current Classic Cleaners managers, Nancy Leonard, Jackie Wilson, and Blanca Martinez were all April’s trainees, and “April’s” Hazel Dell store is one of Classic Cleaners’  busiest and well-run locations.

Seven years and some 200 special Wednesdays later, April Tillberry has improved her life and career in a big way at Classic Cleaners.  (The only thing smaller are the “panties”!)

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

One of our newest customers called with a question: Could we get A LOT of bubble gum out of her son’s baseball uniform?

Classic Cleaners District Manager Dee Godwin to the rescue!  The result: one very clean baseball uniform, one very happy customer, one very happy young baseball player.

Baseball jersey with bubble gum

Baseball jersey ready for the game - no more bubble gum!

Funny thing, while chewing gum goes all the way back to ancient Greece (Greeks chewed resin from the mastic tree) and Mayans (who chewed the sap of the sapodilla tree), bubble gum itself was discovered by accident in 1928.  Walter Diemer was experimenting with different gum recipes when his mixture began to form bubbles.  Diemer brought some of the gum to a grocery store to test the market, teaching the salespeople how to blow bubbles so that they could, in turn, teach the trick to customers.  All the gum sold in one day, and the rest, as they say, is bubble gum  history!

Each brand of bubble gum has its own unique formula.  But blowing bubbles, as Michael Russell explains in The History of Bubble Gum, has become a tradition with friends and families.

Bubble gum, though, can turn into a problem when it connects with hair or clothing. Ehow.com recommends applying ice directly onto the gum for about 15 minutes, or until the gum is frozen solid.  Sometimes, but not always, that allows the gum to be scraped off clothing or skin. 

             1st Rule of Gum: Watch where you sit . (Don’t you often wish others would watch where they spit?) 

             2nd Rule of Gum:  Scrap the scraping, which can leave marks and even tear fabrics.

For a “home run” in removing unwelcome substances and stains from your clothes, leave the job to the professionals at Classic Cleaners!

Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

The month of May is a special time for Classic Cleaners customers, with our May special on household items. For the whole month of May, there is a 20% discount on cleaning or laundering of all household items.

From the dining room to the bedroom, our special is designed to help the fabrics of your household “get fresh” again as spring turns into summer.

• Dining and living room:
  table linens
  drapes
  table runners
  needlepoint
  afghans
   
• Bedroom/bath
  Comforters
  Bedspreads
  down pillows
  blankets
  quilts
  bed sheets and pillowcases

Mature readers may remember grandma hanging the family’s sheets and tablecloths out on a clothesline. Provided there were no sudden rain showers, the linens would come off the line with a fresh, spring-like smell.  Of couse, with the closest neighbors a quarter-mile down the road, no one seemed to complain about the “underdrawers” spaced between the sheets. There were disadvantages to line-drying, of course, such as clothespin marks, square linen stretched into rhomboid shapes, and the difficulty of maneuvering large tablecloths on ironing boards.

Today, of course, it’s rare to see clothes and linens hung out to dry.  In fact, in the little town of Perkasia, Pennsylvania, there’s a legal battle going on among those who want to drip dry clothes and linens in the breeze and those who are offended seeing “underwear flapping about”. 

Whatever your thoughts on this matter, let’s face it.  It’s not practical for most apartment residents and homeowners to hang linens out to dry, so most use washing machines and electric dryers. 

This May, though, put Classic Cleaners professionals in the driver’s seat, treating yourself to the luxury of perfectly pressed and folded tableware, crisp, lightly starched sheets and pillow cases, and fluffy, sparkling clean pillows, spreads, and drapes.

This May, let your household items “get fresh” with Classic Cleaners!
 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Dress For Success Indianapolis Clothing donations

More than seven years and 100,000 suits and blouses later, we’re proud to say Classic Cleaners’ partnership with Dress for Success Indianapolis has been nothing but successful .

The April 17th “Super Sort” at the Classic Cleaners Bash Street plant is just one aspect of the ongoing partnership between Classic Cleaners and Dress For Success Indianapolis. DFS Indianapolis staff members, volunteers, and interns gathered Saturday morning to help sort the donated clothing and prepare it for delivery to the Dress For Success boutique at 820 North Meridian.

Susie Fucik, Professional Women's Group Program Manager, Juanita Galvis, first time volunteer, Mehida Perez, volunteer

The mission of Dress For Success is “to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”

Classic Cleaners contributes to DFS Indianapolis in several other ways as well :

• Super Sort is the culmination of Send One Suit Week, during which individuals at a local business, place of worship, or organization host a private drive.  These individuals lead an on-site collection with their co-workers, associates, family or friends to collect 1 suit, 1 blouse, and monetary donations from each person to benefit DFS Indianapolis.  For the fourth year, Classic Cleaners was a sponsor for the private drives by giving each donor a coupon for $10 off a $20 or more order of dry cleaning.
• Throughout the year, Classic Cleaners acts as a collection site, accepting interview-appropriate suits and blouses on hangers, cleaning donated garments as needed, then delivering them to the DFS Indianapolis Boutique at 820 N, Meridian. (Other items such as shoes, jewelry, purses, and accessories may be dropped off at  DFS Indianapolis during open clothing donation days.)  
       
• In August of each year, Classic Cleaners runs a special DFS Indianapolis promotion. For every dry cleaning order of $20 or more, $2 is donated to Dress For Success.  A check is presented to the organization at the DFS Indianapolis’ annual September fundraiser, “Stepping Out in Style”. In each of the the past two years, Classic Cleaners September donation was more than $13,000.

Why does Classic Cleaners contribute to worthy organizations like Dress For Success Indianapolis? Simple!  It’s our way of showing our appreciation to society and to being good citizens of the human family.

By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

We are proud to announce that Classic Cleaners now accepts the Discover Card.

For your convenience, we accept Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

We believe that we are the most convenient dry cleaner in Indianapolis. If there is ever anything we can do to make our service better for you. Please contact us.

–Matt

Striving always to be a good corporate citizen, Classic Cleaners supports Dress for Success on an ongoing basis. According to the Dress for Success What We Do page,

The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Classic Cleaners helps Dress for Success in numerous ways. We accept suits and blouses at any of our 17 Classic Cleaners locations. Also, you can donate via your Classic Cleaners free home pick-up and delivery service. Disadvantaged women will use the suits and blouses you donate when they go on job interviews and start their new jobs. This program has helped thousands of women get the professional look and self-esteem they need to start fresh and improve their lives.

Classic Cleaners also engaged in two major initiatives in 2009 to help Dress for Success.

August Fundraising Drive
As we do every year, in August 2009, Classic Cleaners donated $2.00 for every dry cleaning order of $20.00 or more. This year, Classic Cleaners donated over $13,000.00.

Stepping Out in Style
Stepping Out in Style is a dinner and fashion show fundraiser for Dress for Success held every September at the Marriott in Downtown Indianapolis. The evening’s festivities begin with a cocktail hour, a diamond dig, and a raffle. During dinner, attendees enjoy a fashion show with clothing provided by local boutiques and modeled by prominent women in the community. This year’s models included Winnie Ballard (wife of the mayor), local businesswomen, and TV personalities. Attendees also listen to the stories of Dress for Success clients. The contributions of Classic Cleaners and other partners are acknowledged during the show.

If you contributed to Dress for Success this year, we’d like to offer our sincere thanks! If you have not yet contributed to this good cause, please consider what suits and blouses you can spare. We accept Dress for Success donations throughout the year!

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team