CHICAGO — The drycleaning industry is being pushed to expand beyond its traditional boundaries, and many cleaners see a critical need to evolve service offerings and business models to capture new markets, particularly with younger consumers.
Part 1 of this series looked at the effect of industry consolidation the past few years, as well as the labor issues that are expected to continue into the new year. In Part 2, we examined the impact that advancing technology might have in 2025. Today, we’ll conclude by diving into opportunities cleaners could take advantage of in the near future.
What Was vs. What Is and Will Be
“I don’t think formal dress is ever coming back” says Mary Scalco, CEO of the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI), “so we have to figure out how to clean what people are actually wearing today.”
One of the most promising paths to success lies in the circular fashion economy, says Christopher White, executive director of America’s Best Cleaners (ABC). There are growing opportunities for professional cleaners and garment care specialists to play a crucial role in extending clothing lifespans, eliminating waste and supporting a more sustainable fashion ecosystem.
“There’s expected to be $73 billion in re-commerce in the United States alone [in 2025],” he says. “Even if 5% of those people actively participated with a dry cleaner once a year, that would be huge for our industry.”
Scalco also sees this shift in consumer behaviors.
“For many younger people, vintage and thrifting has become a way of life,” she says. “They’re not shopping at Forever 21 anymore. Instead of ‘fast fashion,’ where it was cheaper to replace it than have it cleaned, now they’re investing in quality pieces.”
This trend toward higher-end specialty care extends beyond vintage clothing. White notes opportunities in these services, he says. “These are caring for unique pieces like Louis Vuitton bags or Chanel bags or Balenciaga sneakers.”
However, capturing these opportunities requires a fundamental shift in how cleaners present themselves to the market.
“If I could come up with a different word than ‘dry cleaning’ for our industry, I would use it,” Scalco says, noting that cleaners who take a more generalized approach might more easily connect with potential customers. “I just want you to take care of my garments, or take care of this or that for me,” she says. “I really don’t care how you do it.”
White stresses the urgency for cleaners to help their customers make this mental turn in redefining what dry cleaners can do to care for their items and make their lives easier.
“There’s a whole generation to two who don’t even know our industry exists,” he says. “We have an opportunity right now to paint a new picture of how we are a sustainability solution.”
What it Takes to Take Advantage
Both Scalco and White stress that finding success in these new markets requires a different attitude.
“I don’t know if I would call it ‘skills,’ but I think it’s a mindset,” Scalco says. “Cleaners have to figure out how to break out of the mold, appeal to that younger customer and do more marketing.”
White puts it more bluntly: “If you are the owner sitting on the spotting board, and that’s where you’re comfortable,” he says, “other people are going to be out there actively going after your customers in ways that they’ve never had the capability to do so before.”
Both warn that cleaners can’t wait for traditional business to return.
“There are some in the industry who keep waiting for the suit and tie to come back,” Scalco says. “They’ve been waiting for 20 years. If they haven’t come back, I don’t think they’re coming back.”
Instead, successful cleaners in 2025 need to actively pursue new opportunities while maintaining their core competencies.
“There are many ways that dry cleaners can participate in that space that fits them without a major investment,” White says. “They just need to be out there and messaging appropriately to capture those people.”
While the year ahead might offer some interesting twists and turns, Scalco says that cleaners need to take a hand in steering their business and looking ahead to take advantage of every opportunity they meet, rather than reacting passively to events.
“Let’s be interesting by our own making,” she says, “and not somebody else’s.”
For Part 1 of this series, click HERE. For Part 2, click HERE.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].
