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Your Curb Appeal

“What is it about your storefront that attracts customers?”

CHICAGO — Does your drycleaning store have curb appeal? The most recent American Drycleaner Your Views survey asks the trade audience to tell us the answer to that question.

Two-thirds of survey respondents consider their storefronts to be eye-catching. Here are some of the individual responses to the survey question: “What is it about your storefront that attracts customers?”

“It’s bright and cheery with neon hangers hanging from the ceiling and video screens.”

“Clean store and parking lot; appealing, welcoming and looks professional.”

“Nothing but the great customer service in it!”

“We’ve been at the same location for 45 years.”

“Special built neon logo window sign.”

“Clean, white building with tan brick accents. Large lighted logo, LED lighted sign in green against white wall. Large glass from floor to ceiling. Cost: $9,000.”

“Drive through service!”

“Clean and modern look. No clutter. We run a video of our operation and services on a constant loop. All front employees are in uniform.”

When asked: “How often do you update your storefront?” the graph shows that 18% do so regularly, 47% occasionally, but 35% either rarely or never.

“Do customers comment about your storefront?” the survey asks. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said that customers notice the curb appeal.

Here are some of the comments survey respondents say they receive from customers:

“I get comments on the counters. They are curved counters like an elbow shaped with mosaic tile design on the front and the same color yellow of my vehicles on the countertop. Also I have neon hangers hanging from the ceiling and video screens.”

“Nicer carpeting, better colors.”

“They love that our look is exclusive to our company and that they can always find our stores because they always look the same.”

“None, but wish they did.”

“They want a drive-thru, but no room or money.”

“We improved the community when we opened 2 years ago.”

“Makes us feel we are entering a special cleaners.”

“They always comment they feel much more comfortable coming into our store than our competitors. They also say it gives them confidence in our work.”

“They do say how cool the inside looks. I’ve never heard anything bad about the outside. It’s not dirty or anything, it just needs a facelift and painting.”

The survey also asks: “If you’re planning improvements, tell us what they are?” Here are the responses:

“New carpet and counters. Drive-thru sliding glass doors.”

“New counter, POS system, floor and wall refresh.”

“Complete remodel of the front at one store.”

“Next on the to-do list is re-staining the floors.”

“Nice canvas painting, wall color and lighting fixtures, it’s a little more modern and LED.”

“Plan on putting up a new digital sign along with flags.”

Today’s Your Views survey offers a current snapshot of the trade audience’s views. Qualified subscribers to American Drycleaner e-mails are invited to participate anonymously in the unscientific poll.

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Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].