- July 5, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
The business world transitioned from tailored suits to yoga pants during the pandemic, which hurt an iconic industry designed to make employees look sharp: dry cleaners.
Some Spokane-area dry cleaners said their businesses have battled – at least one closed – after they faced the reality of the coronavirus shutdown in March of last year.
Those that survived have struggled to regain business as clients shifted from in-office meetings to virtual Zoom conferences at home during the shutdown.
“On March 23, boom, we were shut down,” said Marcie Walling, the manager at Scollard’s Dry Cleaning in Spokane. “The owner and his wife … kept two businesses open. They did what they could to make rent.”
While business picked up after Gov. Jay Inslee allowed more in-office capacity, the demand has not recovered, she said.
“We are getting more casual,” Walling said. “A lot of our industry are teachers. During COVID, more and…
