“Today’s independent woman doesn’t want to go along with the crowd; she wants to stand on her own merit,” says Lovetoknow.com.

Jill F. said her vows in silver gray

While white wedding dresses remain the most popular choice for many brides, colored wedding dresses are growing in popularity for modern, trendy brides. Lovetoknow reminds critics that white wedding gowns weren’t the norm until 1840, when Queen Victoria chose a white dress for her wedding.

At Classic Cleaners, we know.  In just the past season, of the many beautiful wedding gowns brought in for post-wedding cleaning, one was red, the other a silver gray.

Jill F. confided that she’d never even considered white.  Seeking a non-traditional dress, she’d chosen the one with the most appealing style and fit – it happened to come in gray.

Lovetoknow names five reasons brides are beginning to branch out in their wedding color choices:

• Desire to be different
• Greater selection of styles
• Cheaper prices for party dresses as compared to bridal gowns
• Cultural considerations (where a certain color is traditional or symbolic)
• Ability to reuse the gown for other occasions

 Every profession has its special challenges, and dry cleaning is no exception. 

• The delicate fabric on evening gowns needs special treatment.
• The color red presents its own set of special challenges.
• Beading and trim need to be handled with special expertise.

Dry cleaning wedding dresses is a specialty at Classic Cleaners.  There’s an extra measure of satisfaction, though, when Classic Cleaners technicians can do their work in “Technicolor”!
 

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

 All dry cleaning is local, you might argue. After all, no one ships  clothes out of state to be laundered or dry cleaned! So, if your dry cleaners is locally operated, is it important whether it’s locally owned? 

Classic Cleaners - born, bred, and involved in local Indiana

CityofSoundcom thinks so. “Locally owned independent retailers contribute a vast amount to cities…  recent research from the US indicates that between 54 and 58 cents of every dollar spent at a locally-owned retailer stays in that local environment.” (The article goes on to explain why: Local businesspeople employ local accountants, local delivery services, local web designers, local signwriters, local architects, advertise in the local newspaper, and so on.

Staylocal.org of New Orleans lists no fewer than ten reasons to shop local:

1. Protect local character and prosperity
2. Community well being
3. Local decision making
4. Keeping dollars in the local economy
5. Jobs and wages
6. Entrepreneurship
7. Public benefits and costs
8. Environmental sustainability
9. Competition
10. Product diversity

Classic Cleaners is locally owned and locally operated. The first Classic Cleaners store opened in Indianapolis in January 1985.  Today, there are 17 stores in locations that include Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville and McCordsville along with Indianapolis.  Pickup and delivery service is available in the surrounding localities bordered by Fortville, Pittsboro, and Cicero.

As far as the Staylocal.org list, Classic Cleaners is certainly 10 for 10. Through membership in the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, and the Fishers Chamber of Commerce, Classic Cleaners does its part to strengthen local communities.  Through its financial support of Dress For Success Indianapolis, local Girl Scout troops,  the Museum of 20th Century Warfare, and many other local charities, Classic Cleaners stays involved in local community needs, seeks to be an employer of choice and to protect the environment in all its operations.

Local, anyone? 

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

While Classic Cleaners dry cleaning professionals weren’t actually in attendance at the November 9th Job Fair at the Hamilton County 4-H Exhibition Center in Noblesville, they had a strong presence at the event. 

That’s because many of the perfectly pressed and starched shirts and freshly pressed business suits worn by the hundreds of job applicants – and the interviewers representing their employers – sported that Classic Cleaners professional “look”.

“In an interview,” according to Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs, “your attire plays a supporting role.  Appropriate attire supports your image as a person who takes the interview process seriously and understands the nature of the industry in which you are trying to become employed.”

Classic Cleaners knows.  That’s why, throughout the year, Classic Cleaners in Noblesville and other locations act as a collection site, accepting interview-appropriate suits and blouses on hangars.  Where needed, the clothes are dry cleaned, then delivered to the Indianapolis Dress For Success boutique.

Career.vt.edu offers important tips about interview clothing:

• Conservative colors (navy, dark green, brown, black)
• Solids, rather than plaids or patterns
• Clean and well-pressed
• No dangling threads or sales tags

At Classic Cleaners, we’re in the business of creating that critical first impression that helps applicants actually land jobs!

 By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

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), 12730 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