To Rosalba Cabrera, the future looks rosy, even in an economy that’s been consistently wilting for the last few years.
Known as Rosie by most of her customers, the owner of Desert Dry Clean has proven that she understands exactly how to make a business work in a struggling economy.
With more than two decades of experience in the dry cleaning industry, Cabrera has not only survived but thrived, all while she and her husband reared two children.
She worked at the Tempe store, located on the northeast corner of Warner and Rural Road, through three previous owners, and finally had a chance to purchase the business in 2008.
“When the first owners opened, my kids were little and they needed me more,” Cabrera said.
“Then eventually the third owner came, and he said, ‘You know what: I have to go. But I’ll tell you for sure, you are the one that can buy it, because I think it is a perfect opportunity for you right now.’”
After running the company full-time for the first year, Cabrera said she realized there were opportunities to save money and, at the same time, help keep prices stable for customers, despite peoples’ withering finances.
“I haven’t changed any prices for about four years now, even with the economy,” she said. “We tell our customers that we have to pay a lot for supplies, so if you could help by recycling the hangers, we can keep the prices the same.”
Almost every customer at Desert Dry Clean follows up with the request.
“I give them a box, and they bring it back with their hangers,” she said. “At some other dry-cleaning services, they use brand new hangers every time. That just hurts everyone – it’s a waste.”
Prices of the dry-cleaning fluid used in most stores, perchloroethylene, or perc as it’s known in the industry, also keep increasing and soon could rise to double the cost, Cabrera said. To keep expenses at a minimum, she uses a sterilizing process to get as much dry-cleaning use with the smallest amount of perc.
“We also purify the perc – we call it a ‘cooking’ system,” she said. “So, we separate the dirt from the cleaning supplies, purify it, and reuse it to save costs. But, we reuse it 100 percent clean.”
Using this method drastically reduces the amount of perc used for dry-cleaning.
“It’s another way to keep the prices the same for customers,” she said. “We’re also making an effort to be more environmentally friendly, by trying to avoid using unnecessary chemicals.”
And the customers keep coming back, Cabrera said.
“I have customers from Queen Creek, north Phoenix, Casa Grande and even Tucson,” she said. “Even if they move away, they still come back.”
Running the dry-cleaning business is a stressful, full-time endeavor, Cabrera said.
“My whole family works here; my husband is an electrician during the day, and comes in during afternoons and evenings to help,” she said. “And, my two kids come in after school.”
Cabrera has two children, ages 11 and 17.
“Being in the business for so long, I absolutely love it,” she said. “I love everything about my job – talking to customers, cleaning and everything in between.”
Desert Dry Clean: 480-491-1107, northeast corner Rural and Warner roads, behind Circle K.
