When Kyle Panther took ownership of Martinizing Dry Cleaning on East Boulevard in 2016, he brought a wealth of experience and insight from his background in manufacturing, including a familiarity of working with different machinery and equipment. With a determination to modernize the dry cleaning experience, he began upgrading the facility, integrating new technology, and elevating the overall customer experience.
One of biggest upgrades Panther implemented was fully integrating the cleaner’s services with the Martinizing Delivers app, which allows customers to schedule pick-up and deliveries, track services, and receive notifications. “It is similar to so many other apps most people are familiar with using these days,” explained Panther. “You upload your information, and it helps you locate the closest drop-off, pick-up, and delivery locations near you. The app also allows us to message and send notifications to customers.”
The dry cleaning methods used by Martinizing provide many benefits when caring for clothing and specialty items. “Some items you simply can't clean yourself because they do not handle water well and you don't have the capability to clean it otherwise,” said Panther. “Other times, you try to get a wine stain out of something and it simply doesn't work. Dry cleaning, which doesn’t use water, has other options available including access to a variety of spotting agents for stains.”
Clothing items, specifically, last longer and retain vibrant colors and shape better through the dry cleaning process. “It is a much gentler process on clothes because it does not include the harsh drying side of cleaning clothing,” he said. “For the most part, the drying is where a lot of the damage is done. For example, if you ever dry your clothes and you check the lint trap, all of that material is part of your clothing that has come off, leaving your clothes with less material.”
What types of items are a good fit for dry cleaning? Panther and his staff see a little bit of everything. “I really like the variation of items that come in on a daily basis,” he shared. “Of course, we see our fair share of shirts and pants, but we have also cleaned an 80-year-old christening gown that has been worn by four different generations being christened. Sometimes we get stuff that people thought that they had destroyed, but we get the right spotter on it, are able to get the stain out, and are able to make their day. We also get older clothing pieces that simply need extra care.”
In addition to common clothing items, Martinizing specializes in cleaning luggage, purses, shoes, rugs of all sizes, curtains, tablecloths, comforters, banners for businesses and sports teams, and more. “We're willing to clean just about anything and you can get in the door,” said Panther. “We do almost everything in-house, right on site. Occasionally, we have larger rugs that we will take over to the warehouse and take care of them there, but it is still us doing the cleaning, just at a different location.” Shoe repair and specialty services such as cleaning and preserving wedding gowns and other special occasion items are also available.
Martinizing also offers regular wash and fold laundry service. This option is perfect for people who travel frequently or have schedules that don’t allow time for doing laundry, in addition to those who may need a temporary option while their washer and/or dryer are not working. The regular laundry services also provide the luxury and convenience of simply not having to worry about getting the laundry done at home and relief from what seems like a never-ending pile of clothing that needs to be ironed or pressed.
“It's just so convenient to drop the items off and pick them up with they are ready,” he explained. “There are plenty of things we can do at home, but we sometimes choose not to. For example, people go to restaurants because they don't feel like cooking, not necessarily because they can’t make food at home. Just because you can do something at home doesn't mean you always want to.”
Although many customers visit the location in person, Panther has elevated customer service to the next level by offering convenient pick-up and delivery options easily scheduled using the Martinizing app. Customers can choose from several options, including monthly or weekly delivery services. “For our weekly services, we have a regular pickup and delivery rotation where we come by twice a week,” he said. “We will pick items up and bring them back on the next rotation when we come by your area. So depending on where you live, the schedule can be on the Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday route.”
Another option for customers is to use one of the secure lockers located in apartment and office buildings throughout the area. Lockers provide a convenient option for customers who work long hours or who simply don’t want to worry about running extra errands. Through the app, customers can locate a locker close to work or home, set a pick-up time, track the progress of their order, and be notified of the return delivery. To set up a locker, customers simply enter their work or home address in the app and it will guide them to the closest available locker.
“Once you get to the location, you scan the locker code and we get a ping that there is an order for pickup in that specific locker,” he explained. “The next time that we are scheduled to go to that location, which is usually once or twice a week, we'll go pick it up, service the order, and bring it back to the locker. When we deliver the completed order, you’ll get a notification that says your items are in a particular locker. You’ll be given a unique pin for that locker and you just come and get the items out whenever you are ready and in that area.”
With all the convenience upgrades, Panther has ensured that the level of personalized service provided by a friendly staff has remained the same. “When you give us a call, you’ll get someone actively working at the front desk who is available to answer questions,” he said. “One thing customers really like about us is if you have a question and call early enough in the day, maybe you have a pair of pants with a wine stain and you need them cleaned before tomorrow, there is a good chance you’re going to hear the person turn around and ask a staff member who is actively doing the work if we can make that happen for you. And if you show up three minutes later, you’ll likely come face to face to the person you were just talking to and handing your clothes to them. This keeps the communication loop small and customer service a priority.”
Martinizing Dry Cleaning is located at 1408 East Boulevard, Suite AA, and is open Monday-Friday 7:00am to 7:00pm and Saturdays 10:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, visit martinizing.com/charlotte-east-blvd, call 704-372-0009, and download the Martinizing Delivers app.
Kyle Panther currently serves as the President of the North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners, an association which provides professional educational opportunities, networking opportunities, and legislative support and updates.
Of course, we see our fair share of shirts and pants, but we have also cleaned an 80-year-old christening gown that has been worn by four different generations being christened.
We're willing to clean just about anything you can get in the door.