Pocono News Section

Taken to the Cleaners

Taken to the Cleaners - Monday, April 28, 2008 at 3:29PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, Apr 28, 2008 @ 03:29pm EST
EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY - Angelo Spinelli's head is spinning like his machines. He and his family opened Personal Touch Dry Cleaning about twenty years ago.

Now he's hard pressed to figure out how to pay his bills and keep his prices down. "It was always hard but not as hard as it is now," he said.

Over the past few months the price of just about everything has gone up. High chemical prices mean it costs more to clean clothes. High energy prices mean it costs more to run the equipment.

Angelo has also had a surprise extra expense. Metal hangers have gone up about ten cents a piece, which doesn't seem like a lot but when you order 10,000 of them, it really adds up.

On top of it all, customers are spending less. Many are stopping by every other week rather than every week.

"I don't know how much longer we can do this for but as of right now we have not raised our prices," said Spinelli.

Thanks to regulars like Madeline Casale - Angelo is hanging on.

She said, "Been coming here since I've been living up here, which is almost twenty years."

Madeline comes for the personal small town service. And Angelo hopes customers like her get his family through this tough time.

"You do what you have to do to try to survive. That's all you could do," he said.

Personal Touch asks repeat customers to bring back hangers so they don't have to order as many.