So, can you guess which laundry item is being washed or dry cleaned less than ever these days? If you guessed pants, you’re right, according to John Leano, representative of Bryan’s Cleaners and Laundry of Pasadena.
In the age of Zoom meetings and everyone staying at home instead of going to an office, people are either wearing the same jeans every day, or not wearing pants at all.
“They’re definitely not wearing suits,” Leano told realtor Lori McShane in her latest video episode of “Community Spotlight.”
“We’re not cleaning any pants because of all these Zoom meetings going on, Leano explained. “People are just wearing tops and shirts and nice blouses. So we’re not getting a whole lot of suits, but we are still cleaning some things.”
Makes sense to us.
Bryan Cleaner’s & Laundry is the latest business highlighted by McShane, as part of her continuing effort to get people to know the people and places of the neighborhoods she sells.
As Leano explained, Bryan’s Cleaners & Laundry is a family-owned business that has been in business for three generations, since 1938.
“We’re a full service dry cleaners that specializes in everything from couture to casual dry cleaning as well as shoe repair, and wash and fold,” he said. “So, we’re your one-stop shop for everything that’s in your closet.”
But, Leano also noted, like so many businesses in Pasadena, even a successful business like Bryan’s is subject to the economic tsunami that the COVID-19 pandemic has become.
“We’ve been severely impacted,” he told McShane. “We are considered an essential business, so we’ve been able to keep our doors open and we do have pickup and delivery routes that service the community. That’s been very helpful in keeping us afloat with business way down as it is, with so many of the other businesses that are still open and running.”
In fact, said Leano, a number of businesses in the industry have sought them out for guidance during the pandemic. Leano noted that some of them don’t have the luxury of having established routes like Bryan’s.
“So we’re grateful,” he said, “that our founder started the pickup and delivery routes back in 1938. He was really ahead of his time and that’s one of the things that has helped us all.”
And Bryan’s has managed to remain a step ahead even today, said Leano.
“One thing that we rolled out even before this pandemic hit was a wash and fold subscription service,” he said.
According to Leano, customers are moving away from dry cleanable items. But will always need a laundry.
“And there’s some people that frankly don’t want that chore,” he said. “With people working from home, they don’t want to do laundry at home, too. They’re already home schooling, they’re doing their business from home. If we can take that off their plate, we’re glad to do it.”
As one of the oldest landmarks of the Pasadena economic landscape, Bryan’s has also been putting some of its downtime to work to help the community. The shop’s full time seamstress has been busy making face masks for employees, which Bryan’s has also been giving out to people in the community who need them.
And in a lesser-known act of local generosity, Bryan’s has also been running errands for the shut-in and quarantined community.
“If you’re elderly or shut in or you’re self quarantined, and you need something essential picked up like food or groceries or prescriptions,” said Leano, “We’ll send our drivers out and pick that up for you, and deliver it to you free of charge. It’s just our way of thanking the community for being so good to us for over the last 82 years.”
That’s just good business.
Lori McShane of KellerWilliams Realty is available at www.sellingwithlori.com. (626) 807-5621.
Bryans’s Cleaners is 2446 East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena; 544 South Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, and 2336 Lake Avenue in Altadena. (626) 796-4335
