Community development
When the news today in the Globe Gazette trumpeted the opening of a new Western Wear clothing store, I was very pleased. I hope the owner prospers beyond belief.
What we don’t have in this community of 27,000 people is one of the simplest basic services every community of our size seems to have with the exception of us. There was a time we had two of them, both of which seemed to be doing well. What is it? Dry Cleaning.
Can you imagine a town of this size not being able to support a dry cleaner? Here are our current options; take your dry cleaning to two drop off locations….Hy-Vee Supermarket which will transport them to Albert Lea then back to the grocery store to pick up. I can see this, because it takes you in and out of the Supermarket twice, once to drop off….once to pick up and while you’re in there you might buy some bread and milk.
The other pick up spot is on the corner across the street from the post office; these people will transport your clothing to Fort Dodge, Iowa and back. Now let’s look at Clear Lake, it has a dry cleaner in a town which is much smaller than Mason City and the same dry cleaners have been there for quite a number of years and seems to make a living.
So why can’t a dry cleaner support themselves in this city?
Here is a suggestion, drive your dry cleaning to Clear Lake and while you’re there have lunch in the city….they have some great lunch spots, then repeat it when you need to pick it up.
Peter Children
Mason City, Iowa
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19 thoughts on “Opinion: We need a dry cleaner in Mason City”
As the article noted, there are two places in town to take clothes for dry cleaning. Why is it important that the work actually be done in Mason City? Nobody has lost the ability to get their clothes cleaned.
MC schools just took every tax payer in town to the cleaners. LOL
We need one, thanks for your article
Peter,
Get with the times. How many things do you take to the dry cleaners? If you do it must be antique clothes. If you are so concernd about a dry cleaners open one up and see how long it stays open!!
Dry cleaning the suit you are buried in is the highest demand for dry cleaning in Mason City. Another feeble rant from Mr. “Why do things have to be different?”
The only jobs coming to MC are fast food fry cooks, and they don’t need to dry clean their uniforms.
Where’s the dry cleaner in Clear Lake ?
We need a lot more of other things like good paying jobs,good roads,and some more progressive minds coming to town.Past is good to remember,but don’t get stuck on things from past that worked but don’t really work well now.No MA-PA dry cleaners would make enough $ to survive ,let alone have a crew to pay.Old ideas aren’t new ideas years later.Hey! Maybe another Bar or small Brewing Co. It seems like a lot of towns try and build their Downtown like this now.Like Mason City has,most of new business is Alcohol related in downtown area.A person could buy a bus and sit downtown between 1-2 am. and drive all the DRUNKS home safe.Now there is a idea.Don’t think this is what going on drive by downtown at 1-2 am. most any night.Oh that’s right this help the court systems and put a lot of people to Work right so that make it a great plan?Mason City Resident,Property owner/Taxpayer Score is I’ve seem downtown already tore up once
The dry cleaning business that recently closed in MC was because there wasn’t enough customers, the owner said not enough people dry clean their clothes etc. anymore.
No we need a Scheels
With the exception of several sports coats, all my other clothing is considered “wash and wear”. I steam clean the coats once or twice a year and there are do it yourself dry cleaning products on the market too. A dry cleaner would go broke it they depended on me to make a living.
Who dry cleans their clothes anymore?
I do.
Funeral Home Director perhaps?
Bankers, Lawyers, Administrators, Office Personnel, Funeral Directors, High-End clothiers, CPA’s, and other business people.
“So why can’t a dry cleaner support themselves in this city?”
Because too many people take their clothing to Clear Lake. Once they are there, they go eat at one of the many great lunch spots. Then they repeat it when they go pick it up.
Hope this helps to answer your question as to why Mason City doesn’t have a dry cleaner.
Dry cleaning fluid is poisonous like pig shit but the government takes care to force all kinds of regulations on the dry cleaning and also chrome plating businesses– UNLIKE factory CAFO’s .
Point well taken…..what happen to the equipment in the One Hour cleaners? It might provide the beginning of a business. Maybe Bransted could bring one here.
Branstad is the ambassador to China now. You seem to be out of the loop.