Classic Cleaners History

In January 1985, Carl Arnold, Carl’s son John Arnold, and Jeff Stroman opened their first store as Professional Cleaners in northeast Indianapolis. In May, another of Carl’s sons, Steve Arnold, joined the team as a fourth partner to operate the second Professional Cleaners location.

Growing rapidly, the company soon took on a new name—Classic Cleaners—and a new corporate structure. Steve became General Manager and assumed responsibility for operations while Carl focused on marketing and growth. As president, John negotiated leases and dealt with finances.

In 1990, Classic Cleaners opened more stores and gained additional capital when Leon Neal bought into the company as a fifth partner. Leon brought additional dry cleaning technical expertise to the company and is now in charge of quality control and wedding gown cleaning and preservation.

In 1993, Classic Cleaners started its first route, delivering to the Northside of Indianapolis. Carl Arnold now oversees the routes, growing them through superior service. Also in 1993, Tim Day joined the company as its sixth partner. Today, Tim serves as Operations Manager and is responsible for site planning and store construction.

Since 2001, Classic Cleaners has opened five Carmel locations and one Westfield location. Currently, Classic Cleaners has a total of 17 locations, as well as six routes serving a large area in Marion, Hendricks, Boone, Hamilton, and Hancock Counties.

In 2004, Classic Cleaners became the first dry cleaner in the Indianapolis area to introduce 24-hour drop-off and pick-up locker service, adding this feature to its new store at the 131st and Hazel Dell location in Carmel. Since then, Classic Cleaners has continued to make this service available at most new stores.

In 2006, Classic Cleaners remodeled its main cleaning facility, expanding its size to accommodate growth. In 2008, Classic Cleaners installed a state-of-the-art assembly and bagging system in the laundry department. This investment increased productivity, reduced the amount of garment handling, and virtually eliminated misplaced garments. Classic Cleaners installed the same system in the dry cleaning department in 2009.

Today, Classic Cleaners is one of the most technologically advanced dry cleaning and laundry companies in the Midwest. Even more important, however, is the company’s commitment to VIP-level customer service. Constantly striving for excellence in both technology and service, Classic Cleaners intends to offer the Indianapolis area’s best dry cleaning and laundry options for many decades to come.