Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIV, No. 42
 
Wednesday, October 20, 2010

It’s New to Us by Jean Stratton



KEEPING IT CLEAN: “We felt there was a real need in the area for a dry cleaner offering very good service and very good value. We have excellent service and excellent prices.” Hyung Park is owner, with his wife Jin, of Princeton Cleaners & Tailor. The outside of their building is shown in the photo.

Complete Range of Dry Cleaning Services Available at Princeton Cleaners & Tailor

Hyung Park is enthusiastic about his new dry cleaning business, Princeton Cleaners & Tailor, which opened in April at 11 State Road.

“We already have many customers and lots of repeats. There has been great word-of-mouth.”

Mr. Park, who owns the establishment with his wife, Jin, has a history in the dry cleaning business. “My father came to the U.S. in 1979, and he has had a dry cleaning business since 1979. I grew up in it, helping out after school and on weekends. We had stores in Linden and Carteret, and now, my dad has a cleaning business in Old Bridge. Over the years, he has received many commendations from his customers.”

Mr. Park wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Princeton Cleaners & Tailor offers full-service dry cleaning and shirt laundering. It can also handle such diverse items as draperies, blankets, comforters, bed spreads, slip covers, pet blankets, coats and beds, and wedding and evening gowns.

Special Packaging

“We offer a great preservation service for wedding dresses and christening dresses,” says Mr. Park. “First, they are cleaned, then put in special packaging to preserve them.

“We also have a lot of other special touches. For example, when we hang ladies garments to be picked up, it’s not on a regular hanger, but a shaped hanger to conform to a lady’s figure. We also put paper in the sleeves and in the cuff of jackets and dresses to keep the shape.”

Customers have also been very pleased with a number of unique space-saving techniques, offered by Princeton Cleaners. “Sweaters are boxed when they are cleaned, and this is a great space-saver for people. They can stay right in the box when they take them home,” points out Mr. Park. “We have a similar system for blankets, which are also boxed, another wonderful way to save space that people really appreciate. We will also store items here for customers, such as winter clothes and blankets.”

Quality tailoring is available too, he continues. “My mother is a dressmaker and a seamstress, and she can help with a variety of tailoring needs.”

Among the most popular items brought in for cleaning and laundering today are men’s and women’s suits, men’s shirts, and women’s blouses.

Because of his father’s long experience in the cleaning business, Mr. Park has picked up many helpful tips. “We use a special cleaning solvent for men’s shirts, which is applied before laundering. It was developed by my dad, and helps to keep the color from fading.”

Great Job

“We also have our own techniques for removing stains. Dry cleaners are kind of taken for granted sometimes. But when we do a great job removing stains, people really notice and appreciate it. We’ve done some great work with stains on silk scarves, neckties, and suits that were hard to get out and may have been there a long time.”

Mr. Park points out that Princeton Cleaners uses very safe solvents that meet governmental and environmental standards.

He says he is very careful to check the pockets of all garments before cleaning because customers occasionally forget to remove the contents. “We find a lot of pens,” he notes, “ and one time in the other store, something so unexpected, we could hardly believe it — $3,000! We knew who it belonged to, and of course, we returned it.”

Also, customers will sometimes forget to pick up their cleaning, he adds. “It’s unusual, but maybe they have moved and forgot it. We keep the item for a year, and then if it’s still not claimed, we give it to a Good Will organization.”

25 Percent

Normally, turn-over is three to four days, but it can be quicker, if necessary.

Currently, Princeton Cleaners is offering a 25 percent discount on all cleaning with the exception of suede and leather. Prices cover a range, including $1.95 ($1.56 with discount) for men’s shirts, $5.45 ($5.09 with discount) for pants, $11.85 ($8.89 with discount) for suits, and $18 ($14.14 with discount) for coats.

In addition, “When a customer comes to pick up their cleaning, we immediately give them a coupon toward their next cleaning. We want people to know we are not someone who came here just to make money. We are here to offer the best service to our community.”

“Princeton is a great location. It’s like a real town, with a main street and stores and shops. It has a lot of appeal. We are happy to be here, and we are very encouraged. Also, it’s never dull. Each day can be different because you never know what someone will bring in. It’s a pleasure being able to do this work for people.”

Princeton Cleaners & Tailor is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 to 5. (609) 279-0077.

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