Though it is not officially one of our nominated Best Plants, we’re kicking off our series of profiles of great plants with the story of the latest entry into the market.

After 80 years of operation, the last retail dry cleaner in Thunder Bay closed its doors in August 2022. With a population of 110,000 people, residents of Thunder Bay and the surrounding region had to get creative with their garment care. Whether it be an office worker or a store owner, the community felt the effects of the closure.

Beth DeProphetis, owner of the clothing boutique The Loop, noted that customers began avoiding garments that listed dry cleaning on their care labels. Where some saw a challenge, others saw an opportunity. Enter Quality Cleaners.

Can’t live without it

In a CBC article titled “A dry-cleaning desert no more? New business aims to open dry cleaning, laundry service in Thunder Bay,” Quality Cleaners’ business consultant Tyler Lesschaeve summed it up this way: “Every major metropolitan centre needs a dry cleaner. It’s like a doctor, it’s like a vet, it’s like a grocery store. You’re always going to have suits, you’re always going to have dresses. There’s always going to be certain things you can’t wash in a washing machine.”

Impressed by the cleaning capabilities, cost-saving opportunities, and consumer messaging, the ownership group opted for GreenEarth compatible equipment for the seven-figure investment in a new plant location.

Walk before you run

Quality Cleaners was eager to begin accepting orders, so it initially opened as a drop location. They made the strategic decision to outsource their cleaning to an existing GreenEarth Affiliate located in Sault Ste. Marie (more than 700 km away), while embarking on building their own plant. This forward-thinking move, combined with their investment in GreenEarth technology, has made them the only non-petroleum based dry cleaners Thunder Bay has ever had.

“We saw the need for a reliable, high quality, and eco-friendly dry cleaning service in Thunder Bay and knew we could make a difference,” said Tyler. Despite having no prior dry cleaning experience, they embraced the challenge. General Manager, Gogul Nalainathan attended a training course at the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI) in Washington, DC. During this course, he learned best practices for professional garment care and was able to get hands-on training with the GreenEarth machine located at the institute.

“Gogul had the opportunity to connect with other dry cleaners, namely a fellow GreenEarth Affiliate Linley McConnell of Gibson’s Cleaners in Toronto. As a third- generation dry cleaner, Linley imparted her expertise in conversations with Gogul. He credits her guidance and continuing collaboration as a highlight of his time at the DLI.”

Learn from the best

Art Tombari of Quality Cleaners (not the same company, despite the name) in Sault Ste. Marie has been in business for 40 years. “He was kind enough to let us into his shop to train and develop our team towards the path to success,” said Gogul. “A huge hurdle we had to face was the transportation of the clothes. We got a truck and drove back and forth about 1,500 km every weekend from August 2023 to the end of May 2024.”

Nuts and bolts

If you would like to walk through the plant virtually, you can view it on this YouTube link.

There are two sections to the Thunder Bay plant. “The front of the shop has our front counter, our cobbler Timeless Shoe Repair and our production space,” Gogul said. The shoemaker has won awards, and has a clever display set up in the lobby.

“We have allocated our space in the back to commercial services which we’re currently setting up,” he said. “We have Fibrimatic dry cleaning machines running GreenEarth solvent, Continental wet cleaning machines, several pieces of production equipment and a spotting board.”

Already popular

There was no question that Thunder Bay was ready for a new dry cleaning establishment. Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff helped cut the ribbon and gave the business enthusiastic support in a television interview held at the same time. He noted that people had been taking their dirty clothes with them when they left town in order to get them cleaned. “This is just great! This is what you call a golden red letter day,” the Mayor said.

Gogul was not unhappy with the reception. “The community was relieved to have a dry cleaner back in Thunder Bay. Many people were left stranded with the dry-cleaning desert, which brought traction for our opening. We’ve found it to be a great start and we’re busy. Setting up a new shop was no easy task, yet we had the best minds, contractors and team working together to help us bring this back to the community.”

By opening in a community that was bereft of fabric care services, Quality Cleaners has successfully closed a market gap. They look towards the future with confidence and optimism. The success from the very beginning is a testament to innovation, resilience, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities.