Professional Services in Plainville

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.

Since Jim and Mike Amore opened Jet Cleaners in 1956, the place has become a rite of passage not only for Mike Amore Jr., who worked there as a teen and now represents the third generation of his family's business, but for New Haven residents. The company's Facebook page fondly catalogs photos of staff through the decades, occasionally noting the growth of their careers and families, or marking their passing. The good feelings are mutual, as the community voted Jet Cleaners Elm City's Best Dry Cleaner and Tailor in 2011. Voting with their dollars, the Yale Repertory Theater and Yale Medical School entrust Amore and his team with their costumes and lab coats, a practice begun after hearing the school's dean relied on them to starch his upper lip. A light touch with these delicate materials extends to refreshing heirloom quilts and wedding gowns, as well as tailoring suits. Free weekly pickup and delivery services save trips to the cleaner's modernist building on State Street, which is instantly recognizable not only for its austere design but also for the garden flourishing within its glass walls.

In 1929, Tom Pinchbeck’s great grandfather traveled to Guilford with his family and staked their new territory with a massive greenhouse. For the next 79 years, Pinchbeck’s Rose Farm nurtured 100,000 rose bushes until highly industrial competition began to cloud their traditional production methods.

Rather than closing the doors on his farm, Pinchbeck restructured the business with his friend Jim Lyman. Lyman had been seeking a meaningful job opportunity for his son and other individuals on the autism spectrum. Through Roses for Autism—and in coordination with Ability Beyond Disability—Lyman and Pinchbeck aim to facilitate independence in the business world for individuals with autism. Employees at the farm take part in each step of the process by selecting roses, cutting stems, arranging bouquets, checking inventories, processing orders, and packaging shipments to be enjoyed by hungry bees and brides across the country.

Eco Green Cleaners drivers zip throughout Armonk, Pleasantville, and Bronxville, picking up and dropping off clothes of all kinds. Each garment is meticulously dry cleaned with nontoxic and biodegradable solvents—or with hydrocarbon dry-cleaning techniques—and processed with energy-efficient machines for a minimal impact on the environment. Clean clothes are returned in biodegradable or reusable bags, and the cleaners recycle their hangers to reduce waste. In addition to its dry-cleaning and shirt-laundry services, Eco Green also cleans leather, suede, and rugs, preserves wedding dresses, and alters clothes to accommodate weight changes or tail growth.

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.