10/23/2020
Thank You Julie Loncich WCVB of WCVB Channel 5 Boston for sharing our story with your viewers; and to JPPR of Small Business Strong for making it happen.
After 35 years of service, everything has changed due to COVID-19, as it has for so many small businesses across the country and throughout the world.
Arrow Dry Cleaners is beyond a dry cleaners, it is a life story. This store has been the center of my world for the past 35 years. This is where I met my wife, and our daughter grew up coming to the store with us, running around when she was a child. Our customers have seen my family grow, and we've seen our customers grow as well. Some of our closest friends have been customers we've met through our business.
The best experiences of our lives have resulted directly from this small dry cleaning business on the corner of Arrow St and Massachusetts Ave. We put pictures of a few of our notorious customers, such as Faye Dunaway and Seamus Heaney HomePlace, on our wall.
We've built a gem and sewn this neighborhood together. We've prepared our customers for job interviews by tailoring their suits, we've seen our customers get married and preserve their wedding gowns, we've helped our customers by tailoring their clothes to make them feel their very best, and they always come back after their events to tell us how things went. We've watched the past 35 years of life unfold in Harvard Square through our floor-length glass windows. Sometimes our customers stop-by just to ask how we're doing, to share a cup of coffee, or to share their latest promotions at work!
We are dependent on our local community for business, especially Harvard University which has reduced its on-campus population to 40%. The faculty are working from home, there's no need to wear suits and dresses to work, and therefore no need for dry cleaning and tailoring. The streets used to be filled with visitors, whether it was parents who'd come in to set-up accounts for their children who are students, or visiting lecturers who needed last-minute cleaning and alterations before their events, or members of the community preparing for social events like parties and soirees. Now, the entire neighborhood is suffering tremendously and businesses are taking a big hit.
Please know this Harvard Square, City of Cambridge (Official) and Boston: We will always be here for you, as you have always been there for us and have made our work so rewarding. We will get through this together.
Gov. Baker has announced a multi-million dollar plan that he said will help stabilize the state’s economy as Massachusetts continues to grapple with COVID-19.
