Content about Donald Knuth

CHICAGO — Dry cleaning sales rose in every region in December and the fourth quarter of 2011, according to this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

The West saw the biggest upswings: 6.3% in December (compared to December 2010) and 9.7% for the quarter (compared to fourth-quarter 2010). One operator characterized business as “stable and improving,” while another says his/her yearly sales are up 6% overall.

Sales grew 4.4% among cleaners in the Northeast in December, and 2.1% for the quarter. “We grew 10% organically and added another 10% growth through acquisitions,” says one cleaner.

But reports out of the Northeast aren’t all rosy. “It’s bad,” laments one operator there. “I have been bleeding for three years. Been in business for 55 years. (I) had 18 in help (but am) down to 11.” Others report discounting their services heavily and finding it difficult to obtain new route customers.

CHICAGO — Arrival of new fall fashions signals some styles that could cause headaches for dry cleaners. Of the four new styles analyzed by American Drycleaner, scales (snakeskin) are predicted to be most troublesome, according to the latest Wire survey.

One-half of dry cleaners polled see scales as presenting the biggest challenge, but one-third of respondents believe that none of the new fall styles will challenge a skilled dry cleaner.

Small minorities of 8.3% pick “mix and match” (prints, weaves and textures) and “baroque” (high-necked collars, sheer lace, and frippery) as the most challenging new styles. No one who responded to the monthly survey sees “geometric” (bright prints and patterns) as posing a problem.

CHICAGO — Runways in the world’s fashion capitals came alive for 2011’s fall season, as if to herald an end to recessionary reserve and embrace edgy elegance again.

Ultra-bright colors, extreme ruffles and riotous patterns starred in over-the-top productions featuring post-apocalyptic landscapes, manacled models and psychedelic toadstools. Only minutes elapsed between many of the designer duds’ debuts and the time they hit the streets, knocked off for the mass market under many more-affordable labels.

Some of the season’s styles—the classically tailored mid-century modern and menswear-inspired looks, for example—shouldn’t present professional dry cleaners with problems if they remember to read their care labels and steady their skill sets. But others may have the most seasoned operators at a loss for a cleaning strategy, or at risk for a claim.

Four new trends could present the biggest challenges as they move from the runway to the mall.

CHICAGO — Sales surged in the Northeast in December and the fourth quarter of 2010, according to this month’s StatShot survey. Other regions experienced mixed results.

Sales grew a fast 7.8% among drycleaners in the Northeast in December, and 7.5% for the quarter. “Things are improving,” one operator says. “We’re devoting our marketing dollars to pickup and delivery.”

Jolly Belin of France opened the world’s first drycleaning “business” in the 1840s. He accidentally spilled some kerosene on his stained clothing and saw the spots vanish. The rest is history, as they say.

Today, there are more than 30,000 drycleaning establishments in the United States. About 85% of are small, Mom-and-Pop establishments employing approximately five people and generating about $200,000 in annual sales.

ATLANTA — IPSO recently added Southern Automatic Machinery Co. (SAMCO) in Atlanta as a full-line distributor of its commercial laundry products. SAMCO is responsible for distributing IPSO coin and on-premises laundry equipment in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Representing the third of four generations of Goldbergs to operate the 125-year-old Cleveland-based chain, Brett Goldberg entered the latest D.O. Summers plant in American Drycleaner's 48th Annual Plant Design Awards as a testament to his father. “I wanted to do it this year to dedicate it to him,” he says. “Three generations helped build this.”

NEW YORK — After years of searching in one of the highest-priced real estate markets in the nation, Meurice Garment Care operator Wayne Edelman got an unexpected call from his broker. There was a building available in the Bronx that might be able to house a large drycleaning plant. Edelman immediately got up from his desk and went to meet the broker.

Six of the season's most popular looks — any of which could present problems on your plant's production floor.

Armor

Structured, military-inspired garments in cuts from Roman to Revolutionary marched down the catwalk this year atop the season’s ubiquitous skinny leg. Traditional fibers belie lots of bows, buttons and belts, though — and decorations worthy of a war hero.