Tide opened its first central Ohio location at 990 Old Diley Rd. in Pickerington in 2013, followed by locations at 9551 Galloway Dr. in Powell, 5010 N. Hamilton Rd. in Gahanna, and 7397 State Rte. 3 in Westerville. All were originally opened by franchisees Mark Shelley and Rock VanWey.
Tide Cleaners’ customers in Columbus have been urged to pick up items from each location by Dec. 9, according to a notice sent to customers. Active delivery orders would be returned by Dec. 8 at the latest, the company said.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of Tide, has not answered requests for comment on the decision for the closings. Tide Cleaners continues to operate multiple locations in the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis areas.
Driven in part by a rise of casual clothing, the dry-cleaning industry has shrunk for several years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of dry cleaners in the U.S. dropped from about 27,000 in 2001 to about 16,500 early this year.
The industry has especially suffered in the last few years amid the COVID pandemic, as worker stayed home instead of getting dressed up to go to the office. The National Cleaners Association estimated that one in six dry cleaners would close, and the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute estimated that the industry would shrink by nearly 30 percent.
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