HARTFORD, Conn. — French Cleaners, a family-owned member of the local business community for more than a century, calls itself the place “Where Miracles Happen.” Producers of Gordon Ramsey’s new show, Hotel Hell, needed just such a miracle in May when they invited French Cleaners to participate in a makeover of the Curtis House Inn in Woodbury, Conn.
French Cleaners worked with the designer to create window treatments for Connecticut’s oldest inn. “We got a call on Monday morning asking us if we were available to help Monday night,” says French Cleaners owner Phil Cote.
The company’s expertise was a definite draw for producers, he believes. “Not too many businesses can offer services like alterations and on-site embroidery. The producers were impressed that we were able to bring our sewing machines, embroidery machines, and computer to the site to create the custom designs.”
Joining Cote at the inn was seamstress Wilma DaRocha. The two used a bedroom as a workshop, creating bespoke draperies for the inn’s waiting area and two guest rooms.
“It was a lot of fun,” Cote says. “We went in with the crew and worked into the night while the owner wasn’t there. Everything had to be done by 10 o’clock the next morning.”
The episode featuring Curtis House Inn and French Cleaners’ work is scheduled to air this fall on FOX.
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