Two (2) things I love: good customer service and proper dry cleaning. When combined, it creates something so good that I just have to write about it.

One of the struggles I first encountered upon moving into a new apartment three (3) months ago was sourcing a proper dry cleaner. This might seem easy as I live directly above one, but my life is never easy. While convenient, this establishment opened at 8AM, closed at 6:30PM, and is open Saturdays until 1PM (except in August when they are closed Saturday).

These hours are not conducive to the habits of a hard working, well dressed man.

But it was so close (and thus so convenient).

So I tried to alter my schedule around theirs, leaving later in the morning. Since I usually arrive to work at least 20 minutes before most people generally hit the office, this wasn’t the biggest loss. Besides, I don’t think anyone minded me working later to maintain my stellar level of productivity

Then I started to really pay attention to quality (or lack thereof). A missing sock. A smudge mark on the collar on a shirt that hadn’t been there before (which they agreed to re-clean when I brought it to their attention). Constantly trying to pretend they knew me when I walked in, only to print out the wrong name on a ticket on an alarmingly regular basis.

Then came the incident.

I brought in a shirt with coffee stains on the pocket and sleeve (sigh, how embarrassing). This was a bespoke dress shirt and I was going to be sure they handled this properly. The encounter went something like this:

Ben: I want you to pay special attention to this shirt. It’s got stains here and here, can you get it out?

Old Lady (looking somewhere else): Sure, sure. No problem.

Ben: I’m serious. I need you to get this out for me.

Old Lady (still not looking): Yes. No problem.

Ben: You’re not looking at the shirt.

Old Lady: It no problem. We clean.

Ben: YOU’RE NOT LOOKING AT MY FUCKING SHIRT.

Finally I had enough and left. The scene was eerily familiar to American Pscyho, though slightly (SLIGHTLY) less sinister (embedding was disabled).

Surprise, surprise. The shirt remained stained and I was beside myself.

I spend the next few days sourcing new cleaners in the area. After trying a few out with some simple tasks (box a dress shirt, small load of laundry, the usual), I thought I may have found my new place. They even maintained reasonable hours (7:30AM – 7PM Monday – Saturday).

It was two (2) avenues away and the opposite direction from the subway. Not exactly convenient, but they seemed to know what they were doing. Everything thus far had been done on time and with a smile. Now for the test. The scene went something like this:

Ben: I want you to pay special attention to this shirt. It’s got stains here and here, can you get it out?

New Lady: Hmm, let me see.

She examines the shirt.

New Lady: What caused the stain?

Ben: Coffee. sigh

New Lady (still examining): I think we can get it out.

Ben: You think?

New Lady: It seems like the stains been on there a while. I can’t guarantee, but we’ll do our best.

Honesty. I could deal with that. But would they be able to clean my shirt?

Two (2) days later when I walked in, she recognized me on sight. She smiled proudly exclaimed, “Your shirt came out perfectly!”

I was in love.

So, many of you may be wondering why exactly I chose to title this, Its the little things. Clearly, for me, this was a somewhat traumatic and involved ordeal.

Nothing little about it.

The more I used their services, the more I noticed all the small touches that elevated them above others. The plastic clips keeping my french cuffs properly folded and in place. The rush jobs when I needed them. Knowing me by sight after only a few visits and rarely having to look at tickets to find my clothes.

One day I brought my laundry in a plastic bag. They gave it back in a Brooks Brothers Shopping bag (how did they know?). Then tonight they did something so small yet so excellent that I was inspired to write this post.

I dropped off laundry last week before a trip to San Diego (something I’ll be writing about soon). Upon my return I dropped off all the laundry in my suitcase before work (not having time to run back to my apartment with the first batch of laundry). When I returned today, she comes around the desk with a giant smile. Here you go. They had put both loads together in a giant Brooks Brothers shopping bag (how do they do it?!).

Its the little things.

So what’s the point? As a business you need to provide a basic level of quality service.  That’s a given (I hope). If you’re a dry cleaner, you need to effectively clean clothes. But let’s be honest, there are probably a dozen dry cleaners in the area who can effectively clean my clothes.

Its the little things that elevate a company. Its the little things that make a common service feel personalized. Its the little things that have reserved a special place in my heart for the ladies at Excellent Laundry Services.

With that in mind, I highly recommend this fine dry cleaning establishment:

Excellent Laundry Services – 212-717-1365- 350 E 67th Street (2nd & 1st)