Professional Services in Amherst Center

Elegant Affairs elevates the concept of traditional brunch with delicious cuisine from lauded caterers and smooth jazz music. Elegant Affairs has been catering since 1989 and has experience crafting menus for intimate occasions or parties as large as 4,000 attendees. For the jazz brunch, they create a specialty menu that includes breakfast and lunch favorites such as french toast and caesar salad as well as a full cash-only bar stocked with mimosas, bellinis, and other morning cocktails. As guests taste sweet and savory brunch dishes, jazz musicians such as Jon Berman and Eric Bascom supply an ethereal live soundtrack.

The staff at Zoots Dry Cleaning extracts stains and stress by pairing eco-friendly dry-cleaning services with the convenience of extended evening and Sunday hours, 24-hour drop-off and pickup services (available at most locations), and an automated drive-thru system. Team members clean clothes, draperies, bedding, and rugs with a biodegradable solvent as opposed to harsh PERC chemicals, and some staff are trained to expertly excise stains from the delicate lace and beadwork of bridal-gown bodices. Most stores also have a tailor on location who is able to alter ensembles in a snap. Customers get e-mail notifications when orders are ready or they can download a smartphone app to keep a close eye on the status of their dirty laundry.

Worcester Photo Studios unveils a picture-snapping emporium to customers and photographers alike. Inside the 10,000-square-foot facility, a dozen shooting areas surround sessions in a wide range of settings, and mammoth bay doors grant access to larger-than-life props, such as cars, boats, and scale replicas of downtown Worcester. For shutterbugs lacking their own home base, the studio offers a membership program that includes use of its spaces; in the future, the studio plans to install a classroom, salon-style stations, and a kitchen set, complete with fully functioning appliances and a fully functioning Emeril Lagasse.

The owners of Big Z Cleaners, Twin City Dry Cleaners, & Squeeky's Cleaners & Laundromat wash and dry-clean garments with environmentally friendly practices and a keen eye for detail honed over a span of 40 years. After dry-cleaning silk blouses, suits, or dress shirts stained with business-related marinara sauce, specialists press collars and cuffs and preserve their shapes with a customizable dose of starch. The team also carefully executes wash, dry, and fold services that conclude with exemplary folding and placement on hangers.

Though Lauren Cooksey started out with just a Salvation Army camera in hand and three children in tow, the photographer and single mother was determined to fulfill her dream of achieving a successful career in her chosen art. Her talent and sheer willpower paid off; today, Lauren continues to snap shots under the moniker Cooksey Photo and has even enlisted one of those aforementioned toddlers, Tracy, to join her mission.

With 20 years of industry experience behind them, the mother-daughter photography team captures candid images of individuals and families, crafting prints with warm, sepia tones brushed with custom color. During photo shoots, the duo uses handmade sets and props to coax out the personality of each baby, graduating high schooler, or beloved mannequin. Afterward, they select the best image to edit before dressing it up with daubs of digital color. Finished prints from a family session spruce up a lonely end table, or a print from a pet photo shoot can enliven a mantel in a doghouse. The new in-home studio, which opened in June 2011 is also child-friendly.

Kelly and Kathy's friendship first began in high school, staying strong throughout their college years in Virginia and an eventual move back to Connecticut. Kelly's passion for photography led her to establish her own studio, and Kathy's business and education degrees directed her to teaching—though she never gave up on her childhood dream of becoming an artist. With Simply K Studios, the duo finally combined their respective experiences and industry savvy into a lifestyle photography venture, documenting weddings, senior portraits, infants, and families.

The shutterbug pair tries to capture each client's one-of-a-kind character during sessions, which typically travel to a nearby location or homecoming game reenactment of personal significance. Their prints, digital slideshows, and packages make for prime scrapbooking fodder as they transfer memories to tangible forms.