BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Working from home has its benefits. You no longer need to drive to an office and you might opt for a more "casual" dress code.
While the work-from-home life is becoming more accepted, it has impacted places like dry cleaners. Fox News previously reported that 30% of dry cleaners will close in the next 18 months.
Chris Billoni, Vice President of Colvin Cleaners in Kenmore, said last year was eye-opening because they realized how reliant they are on people leaving their house.
"It's been a very challenging year to say the least," he said. "It's definitely come back around. I think we've been creative in how we've adapted and our customer base continues to stay loyal. They're finding things to send in whether it's their comforter or their wash-and-fold laundry instead of dry-cleaning items. It's slowly getting back to normal."
But even in a post-COVID era, Billoni said there is a worry that people will no longer need to use dry cleaning services because they're working from home. He hopes that if there is an emphasis on cleaning and sanitizing, people will opt to have a higher frequency of cleaning, even if there are fewer items.
Colvin Cleaners is likely to survive because they have a cleaning plant in house. Smaller "mom-and-pop" dry cleaner services often shuttle orders to a plant and have them returned the next day. Billoni said they use a free pickup and delivery service which positions them to better serve clients.
But even their pick-up and delivery service was forced to modify. Rather than canvass neighborhoods twice a week, they send a mass text to clients that they will be in a neighborhood on a certain day and ask those clients to respond if they need a pickup. Billoni said this allows their drivers to know exactly who needs their services, which cut down on operating costs like gasoline and allowed them to become more efficient.
"I'm optimistic for the future," he said. "I know we were having our best year going into COVID. Obviously things have changed but that's what we've always done as a company: We've always adapted."
Shirts at Colvin Cleaners. April 15, 2021WBEN/Mike Baggerman
