I have really exciting news to report. Central Cleaners is coming soon to 790 Central Avenue, which was formerly home to the St. Pete Sculpture Experience. They’ll be offering dry cleaning services with reasonable rates, pick-up and drop-off services, alterations, shoe repair, and retail items such as clothing and shoe-related maintenance items.

Wait a second…you aren’t as excited as I am about a dry cleaner coming soon? I guess I’m not surprised, but let me explain why I think you should be just as thrilled.

There’s a concept called ‘placemaking’. Simply put, placemaking is an urban design approach that puts the community front and center. It’s the idea that a successful downtown should blend residential, commercial, office, cultural and civic uses. The most well known neighborhoods around the world utilize aspects of the placemaking approach to make their communities prosper.  

In addition to restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, downtown neighborhoods also need basic amenities like veterinarians, grocery stores, hardware stores, and dry cleaning. If you live downtown, you shouldn’t have to get in your car and drive ten minutes down the road to buy a tomato for dinner or a set of nails to hang a picture. And while Downtown St. Pete has many of these essential services, there are still quite a few we are lacking. 

The convenience of goods and services is a critical factor that people consider when deciding on a place to live, and neighborhoods without proper retailing are significantly weakened. 

For these reasons, I’m excited to welcome Central Cleaners to Downtown St. Pete. The new shop is being opened by Thuy Le, a prolific St. Pete entrepreneur, and Peter Apostolou of the ARC Group. Le also owns four other downtown businesses — La V Vietnamese Fusion, Nouvelle Beauty Bar, le NAIL: The Art of ManiPedi, and Tropez.

In addition to dry cleaning, alterations, and shoe repair, another amazing service that will be offered by Central Cleaners is package receiving. Central Cleaner’s customers will never have to worry about a package being stolen by ‘porch pirates’ because you weren’t home to receive it. The service will be complimentary for existing customers.

Central Cleaners doesn’t look like your typical dry cleaner either. The front reception area will feature Carrera marble countertops, black matte floor, and crystal chandeliers. “We want to offer an upscale ambiance, but with very reasonable pricing for the community,” says Le.

Pricing for dry cleaning services are as follows: 

• Shirts $2.29

• Pants $5.89

• Blazers $6.89

• Dresses $10.89

Additionally, Central Cleaners will offer a wash, dry and fold service for $2.29 per pound.

For a while, it seemed like every empty parcel in Downtown St. Pete was turning into something that catered to tourists and day-trippers. However, as more residents continue to move into downtown, we will need services like urgent care clinics, barber shops, fitness studios, and daycares. As these essential services are added, they will further Downtown St. Pete’s transformation into a complete and self-sufficient neighborhood.

And the number of new residents hasn’t just slightly increased either. It has spiked. There are nearly 9,000 dwelling units in Downtown St. Pete today and over 3,500 of those units have been built since 2015. That’s a 65% increase in five years. And that doesn’t even consider the additional 1,900+ units that are currently under construction or permitted for downtown.

So while some may see Central Cleaners as ‘just’ a dry cleaner - it really represents so much more.

“We look forward to giving a much needed amenity to our beautiful city and are excited for our customers to experience a true concierge dry cleaning service,” says Le.

Central Cleaners opens Monday July 13th. Hours are 7AM to 7PM Monday through Friday and 11AM to 5PM Saturday and Sunday. Visit their website at www.mycentralcleaners.com and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.