A long-established family-owned business in Toronto shocked its regular customers when a sign appeared in the door announcing that it would soon be closing for good.
For 30 years, Canadian Drycleaners has been an institution in Queen and Coxwell, serving the community with all dry cleaning and alterations needs.
Although the company has been under the same ownership for three decades, the company itself was founded in 1929 and operates as a fully integrated facility, meaning all services are provided on-site, as opposed to pure retail models where cleaning is outsourced other locations.
As an acclaimed leader in the cleaning industry, not only in the Beaches community but throughout the city, Canadian Drycleaners is actually one such location that offers cleaning services not only to individual customers but also to other laundry businesses, making it a true hub for making everything cleaned, ironed and hemmed.
Despite the impressive legacy the company has built over the years, community members were shocked to learn that the company would be closing permanently at the end of the month.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of our cleaning business due to an unexpected family emergency,” reads a notice on the door.
“We greatly appreciate your support over the past 30 years and regret any inconvenience.”
The note also states that the last day of operation for Canadian Dry Cleaners will be Saturday, November 30, but from now on the company will be open for pickup only and will no longer be taking on new cleaning jobs.
The notice is posted on the door of Canadian Drycleaners.
Despite the suddenness of the closure, not to mention the disappointing situation of other traditional businesses in the city having to close due to economic difficulties, expropriations or rent increases, that is actually – and perhaps fortunately – not the story here.
Alex Winch, owner of Beach Solar Laundromat, another local laundry service that has worked closely with Canadian Drycleaners for years, is careful to tell blogTO that while he is not a spokesperson for the company, the closure is simply the result of an unforeseen complication , no decline in business.
“The closure is not indicative of a larger issue in the industry,” says Alex, and while he can’t go into the specifics of Canadian Drycleaners’ business, he suspects it isn’t, given the cleaners’ status in the community . Nor does it indicate a decline in business.
blogTO was unable to contact Canadian Drycleaners to provide further details about the closure.
Canadian Drycleaners is located at 1597 Queen East.