Saturday, 10:45 a.m. The food market is full and as always, there is traffic in front of the Foch dry cleaners. A hurried young woman slows down for a brief moment in front of the sliding doors. She observes the glasses of champagne placed on the counter and this handful of guests toasting nicely. “Are you celebrating something?” » Jean-Pierre Kaiser, his voice assured: “Not at all but we are closing the store this evening. We are bringing all the activity back to Linkling.” It is said: after fifty-four years of presence in the city center, the Foch dry cleaner is packing up its business and a whole part of the history of local commerce is taking a hit.
However, the Kaiser family does not feel nostalgic. ” Things change ; we must not stay on what we have achieved but adapt,” says Clémentine Kaiser, who came to kiss her son and former employees. “I created the dry cleaners in 1969. At the time, the premises were located on Boulevard Foch. There were seventeen dry cleaners and laundries in town! My parents threw their hands up and told me that I was crazy to open such a business,” laughs the octogenarian who was finally proved right.
Adapt to demand
Today, Jean-Pierre knows that the closure of the dry cleaners on rue du Manège will cause a stir in town. “I might even lose a few customers; those who live in the city center and no longer have a car, but I thought about it carefully,” he says. “The machines are all more than fifteen years old and have become obsolete. And then I think ahead: soon, Boulevard Foch will be reserved for electric buses and I tell myself that it will be more difficult to access the store. Today, people are asking for accessibility so I chose to bring all my activity back to Linkling where the conditions are met,” he explains.
“It’s true that the Linkling store is very practical: you can pick up your clothes there any day, at any time,” continues Carole, a long-time customer. This is the concept of the drive, which Jean-Pierre has been offering since the fall of 2019. There are four employees on site (and soon the two from the dry cleaners on rue du Manège) who welcome people six days a week. The difference is that you collect your clothes alone from a machine.”
Only one person will not be part of this new adventure: Céline Olinger has chosen a new professional direction after twenty-four years of presence. The departure of this highly efficient employee precipitated the change of direction. “You don’t find a trustworthy person like her overnight,” Jean-Pierre slips. Good luck to all !
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