By Callie Sharkey
Town & Country Cleaners has served Palm Beach County since 1994, and the husband-and-wife team of Jack and Sue Rao recently decided that it was time to serve the local area from a new location in Royal Palm Beach.
Town & Country Cleaners’ second location opened on Monday, Sept. 24 in the Village Royale (Winn-Dixie) shopping plaza at 1127 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. near Pet Supermarket.
The couple is familiar with the area, having run local Dollar Value Stores for the past 24 years.
“We started in Royal Palm Beach, offering value to people,” Rao said.
With their business roots firmly planted in Royal Palm Beach, the Raos sold their 11 stores, but they still wanted to work and provide a service for their local customers.
“I am an entrepreneur, and I was excited to try something new,” Rao said.
His brother-in-law is in the dry-cleaning industry and suggested they do the same. Rao soon discovered that his previous customers were happy to support his new business.
“I love my customers and helping people,” Rao said. “I am a people person.”
Archica and Charles Brown were Rao’s customers before and happy to utilize his new dry cleaner store.
“We are here for alterations and dry cleaning,” Archica said during a recent visit.
Rao pointed out that while his family commemorates 25 years working in Royal Palm Beach, the Browns are celebrating, too. It shows Rao’s personal connection to his customers.
“We are also celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary,” Archica said.
The new Town & Country Cleaners location has a glistening new tile floor and fresh paint on the walls. New area rugs and cold air conditioning, along with Rao’s smile, complete the welcoming atmosphere.
“Over in this corner, we are setting up the area for sewing and alterations, and we haven’t got all of the pictures up on the walls yet,” Rao said.
Rao is proud of the renewed and clean feel in the store, and rightly so. He designed and completely renovated the space. The store is still in development, as he points out plans for decorations and how the company will grow to offer more on-site services and locations.
“I love the business, and I want to expand more, eventually,” Rao said.
As a drop store, Town & Country Cleaners is able to offer a wide variety of cleaning, repair and alteration services. Items are transferred to a larger facility for processing.
“We provide high-quality work with a visible difference in services like pressing,” he said.
Currently, the services offered include dry cleaning, alterations, sewing and tailoring, as well as cleaning area rugs, curtains, comforters and drapes. They work with a variety of sensitive materials, such as leather, suede and wedding gowns. A reward program is available for repeat customers.
One of the biggest challenges in the business is customers not picking up their items for months at a time. But Rao has a solution for this, too.
“We are working on expanding our pickup and delivery options for the store,” he said. “We are here for the convenience of our Royal Palm Beach community.”
The new Town & Country Cleaners store is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays.
For more information, drop by the store, call (561) 847-4424 or e-mail tccleaners06@gmail.com.
