With Sud-Z Dry Cleaners closed in Hillsdale, people seeking dry cleaning have to look toward neighboring towns, such as Hudson, Coldwater, and Jackson. Two dry cleaners offer alternatives to fill the void left in the local market: Schafer Dry Cleaning and Legacy Dry Cleaners.
Schafer Dry Cleaning has been in business in Jackson since 1898, with locations in both Brooklyn and Jackson. Recently, Schafer has begun offering free delivery to Hillsdale.
“We are now offering free pickup and delivery of our full line of services to Hillsdale, including leather, suedes, wash and fold service, and much more,” said Steve Hanifl, owner of Schafer Dry Cleaning. “Delivery service can be to a home, dorm, or office.” Hanifl and his wife, Vicky, are only the third owners of Schafer since 1898.
Schafer Dry Cleaning won the 2016 and 2017 Best of Jackson Award in the dry cleaner category from the Jackson Award Program.
Schafer’s Jackson location has returned to regular, pre-pandemic hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, while the Brooklyn location is still on shortened hours, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Legacy Dry Cleaners, established in 2006, is another dry cleaning option within a 45-minute radius of Hillsdale. In addition to standard dry-cleaning services, it offers leather cleaning and dyeing.
“We have been able to maintain our normal hours and plan to do so moving forward,” Derek Adams, owner of Legacy Dry Cleaners, said. “Store hours are Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m to 1 p.m. A typical turnaround time for orders is two days. We offer a variety of services in addition to eco-friendly dry cleaning, bedding, leather and suedes, wedding gown preservation, and a self-service ozone deodorizer machine.”
Legacy Dry Cleaners has an online customer portal as well as an app, giving customers the ability to use the website or the app to view previous and current orders or change their credit card preference. They also notify customers via text and email when their order is ready for pickup.
“Not all dry cleaners are created equal. We all use different products, some using more premium detergents, fluids, and chemicals than others,” Adams said.
Hanifl said that at Schafer’s, items are inspected twice, once upon check-in and once before packaging to ensure cleanliness.
“Add to that free pickup and delivery, free same-day service at the Jackson location, free button replacement on shirts and pants, use of the highest quality cleaning agents, and environmentally-friendly equipment and procedures,” Hanifl said. “We believe that we offer the greatest value.”