Op-Ed: Dry Cleaners Show Their True Colors

Lubavitcher Crown Heights residents were in utter shock and dismay today as the non- Jewish owned Happy Dry Cleaners on Kingston Avenue between President Street and Union Street in the center of our Crown Heights community displayed all over their store in a very cruel and anti-Semitic manner, newspaper covers from today showing Yidden not social distancing and not wearing masks from the recent Boro Park incidents.

As word spread, the owners ended up removing the images as soon as they realized it might end up hurting their business, being that frum Yidden make up about 95% or more of their customer base.

But their true colors of what they think of Jewish people were on display for 2 full hours this afternoon, and the damage was done.

What we can take away from all of this, is that we all know – and must remember – that it is best and it is a huge Mitzvah to support our own Frum Yiddishe businesses, and help our fellow brothers and sisters make a Parnosa.

Even more so now, with Covid 19 and all the effects and restrictions it has had on our businesses, and the continuous City bureaucracy and extreme overreach and restrictions (which is only getting worse by the day to do business in our targeted zip codes) making it harder and harder each day for us all to make a Parnosa.

I live and work in the neighborhood, and I understand why a lot of times we (and in all other frum communities as well) end up supporting Goyishe businesses over Yiddishe businesses that are in the same community, for various reasons:

Price: Many (NOT all or even most, but many) non- Jewish owned Businesses are a bit cheaper and better priced than Yiddishe businesses.

Why is that, you ask? One reason might be because they are able to be open more and longer hours than Yiddishe businesses.

I will use the dry cleaners business for an example, but this applies in many different ways and aspects to all Frum, Kosher, Shomer Shabbos businesses and industries etc.

A Frum Yiddishe Heimishe Shomer Shabbos cleaners can not stay open every Friday until Shabbos starts. They need to close a few hours before so they can prepare along with their families for Shabbos Kodesh.

Erev Yom Tov is the same thing.

Chol Hamoed, like right now, most Yiddishe cleaners are fully closed because of the Inyon of not washing clothing on Chol Hamoed, while the Goyishe cleaners are all fully open for business as usual.

Some people need their stuff ready ASAP for whatever reason, and by a Goyishe cleaners they can give their clothing in on Friday and have it ready Motzei Shabbos, when Yiddishe Dry Cleaners are closed.

There was a Picture of the Day posted exactly 1 year ago by a reader to COLLive showing a line out the door at this non-Jewish Happy Dry Cleaners on Kingston Ave. The line stretched all the way to President Street at 5:00 PM on the Friday after Simchas Torah, with local Jewish residents and Bochurim picking up all their clothing from Tishrei.

The photo was taken around an hour and a half before Shabbos, a time which any Shomer Shabbos Frum Dry Cleaners does not have the flexibility to be open, if they want to be ready for Shabbos.

As Shomer Shabbos Frum Yidden, we are happy, proud and excited to not just close all our businesses for Shabbos and Yom Tov, but to close them early in the afternoon so we can prepare our families and be fully ready with the proper Kovod for Shabbos Kodesh.

Now if we respect our community and if we respect all the frum shomer shabbos store owners in Crown Heights that are doing what Hashem wants with Simcha, then the minimum we can do is support them by shopping by them.

Yes, some Yiddishe stores may cost a drop more than their neighboring goyishe stores, but as Frum Yidden, our way of life and business cost much much more than non Jews to operate and this is the reason why some Yiddishe stores, in order to make a Parnosa themselves, need to have a bit of a higher price.

Regarding the convenience of time, again, for the respect of Shomer Shabbos businesses, we should make it our business, and make an extra effort to make our own schedule and timing available, and find the time to go shopping while these businesses are still open on Fridays etc, to be able to support our own.

We are all struggling now with everything going on, so especially now, let’s be there for our fellow brothers and sisters.

Let’s support Yiddishe owned cleaners and all businesses that are Yidden owned in general in Kan Tziva Hashem Es Habrocha.

Please encourage anyone and everyone you know, family and friends, to support and shop by our fellow Yiddishe Crown Heights businesses, as well to inform all guests and visitors that came to Crown Heights (Which very likely don’t even know or realize that it is not a Yiddishe owned businesses, and likely don’t know about the anti Semitic incident that this specific goyishe cleaners did today) to support any of the Yiddishe cleaners here in the neighborhood.

Below is a list of all 6 Yiddishe Frum Dry Cleaners owned by our dear fellow Lubavitchers and members and families of our beautiful community.

For all those that don’t yet, I highly encourage you to start supporting any of these 6 below:

Stan’s French Cleaners 468 Albany Avenue (Corner Empire Boulevard)

Mr. Clean It 336 Albany Avenue (Corner Union Street)

Troy Organic Cleaners 407 Troy Avenue (Between Montgomery Street & Empire Boulevard)

Regency Quality Dry Cleaners 381 Kingston Avenue (near Crown Street)

The Clean Spot 431 Kingston Avenue (near Empire Boulevard)

PLG Organic Dry Cleaners 590 New York Avenue (Between Midwood Street & Rutland Road in South Crown Heights)

I would also add that all these Dry Cleaners offer Free Delivery to your Home/Apartment, as well all our local Heimishe Dry Cleaners above, have an in-house seamstress and tailor, so even if someone does not need dry cleaning, but they can still make the change and bring their clothing to the seamstress/tailor by our local heimishe frum dry cleaners.

In other industries as well, let’s support our fellow local Frum owned stores here in Crown Heights.

I would also highly encourage and suggest that Crown Heights store as well try to make an effort to have more Yiddishe local workers. I know that for some shlepping jobs etc. this is not practical, but there are many many stores in Crown Heights that have openings for good decent jobs, such as cashier, manager etc.

Now I know these stores are not paying for these jobs a salary that can support a father of a large family, but there are lots of older working Bochurim and/or girls that finished Seminary that are not looking for the highest salary.

Many make great workers, as well you get the reassurance of knowing that a Frum Yid with Seichel and Middos Tovos is sitting behind the cash register and all that it entails. As well you can easily post for free on the COLlive Classifieds Jobs Available Section any and all Job Openings available in your businesses and stores.

Fruit/Vegetable/Produce stores: In Crown Heights we have 3 full large beautiful Fruit Stores (Besides for the many large Kosher supermarkets in Crown Heights which have a full selection of produce) with fresh produce daily. There is no reason why we should be Shlepping twice a week to franchise stores in Downtown Brooklyn and Park Slope.

Bodegas: if we need a quick can of soda or drink etc, there are tons of Kosher Grocery stores, as well as many fast food Kosher restaurant in Crown Heights that sell drinks. We can support them instead of going to all these goyishe (and many times feeling unsafe) bodegas around Crown Heights. Let’s support our Kosher stores.

Manicure / Pedicure / Nail Spa and Gyms: With many of these locations in and around Crown Heights owned by Goyim, and currently are being told to shut down, now is a great time when we can start to use our local Lubavitchers that do these services. There are dozens of Crown Heights Lubavitch women business owners that do home visits for these services.

There are about a dozen frum personal trainers and fitness coaches, both male and female, right here in Crown Heights. Let’s start to use them and give them Parnosa instead of Shlepping to Park Slope or other places for all these services and overpaying there. (Feel free to hit the comment section here and recommend local Lubavitchers that do these services.)

And talking about Park Slope, you may have heard about the Anti Semitic incident that happened the first day of Chol Hamoed at The Painted Pot Store there, (along with an Anti Semitic Bowling Alley incident in Newburg, NY yesterday.) Both of these businesses did not allow Jewish people to enter, telling anyone who was visibly Jewish – who were wearing face masks – that they are banned due to what they said is a lot of COVID cases in the frum communities.

I can go on about almost every type of businesses in Crown Heights and how as Acheinu Bnei Yisrael we should support each other. But my point is clear, let’s support local Yiddishe owned stores here in Kan Tziva Hashem Es Habrocha, let’s stick together, and let this be another Mitzvah which can bring Moshiach speedily today.