A new, environmentally-friendly dry cleaning service seems to be just what the growing professional class of Williamson County needs.
That is what Chris Cooley, a financier by profession, believes. So to that end, he has decided to open three Lapels dry cleaning franchises in the area, with one right in downtown Franklin.
“I have been a business owner and financial adviser for the last 26 years, and i was looking for an opportunity to open a local business to get to interact with the people around here,” Cooley said.
He has three stores opening right around the same time. One on 202 5th Avenue North in Franklin on March 10, another in Nolensville on February 24 and a third in Bellevue soon after.
‘Dry cleaning is a very old business and Lapels is really modernizing it with brand new modern equipment, they clean with non-toxic solvents. No use of perc, a cancer causing item that will probably be legislated out of use soon.”
His locations will be decidedly upscale, with marble counter-tops and modern decor.
Modern in another way, Lapels has modernized the way things are done.
“We do it differently, you use an app on your phone, and are notified when clothes are ready,” Cooley said. “There are no clips and thins stuck in your clothing, everything is bar coded in.
“Lapels, with its green initiative, truly represents the future of dry cleaning. With a growing, younger, environmentally conscious demographic in Franklin and Brentwood, we think the response will be tremendous,” Lapels said in a press release last year when it announced it would be looking for franchisees in the area.
Lapels has pioneered its eco-friendly dry cleaning experience over the past dozen years. Lapels has a partnership agreement with GreenEarth®, the dry cleaning industry’s only non-toxic cleaning alternative for its newer locations. Using these kinds of solutions and the latest technology in equipment, Lapels is one of the few dry cleaners able to boast that there is no hazardous waste in their process. Their environmentally-friendly cleaning process has no odor and is gentler on clothes, thus lengthening the life of clothes.
Lapels Dry Cleaning has more than 80 locations nationwide.
