Business Spotlight: Pratt Abbott Garment Care

By Lorraine Glowczak

On-site wedding garment preparations, alterations and repairs, free American Flag cleaning, free pick-up and delivery, wash/dry/fold and, of course, dry cleaning services, are just a few of the multitude of amenities offered by Pratt Abbott Garment Care. With 12 locations in the greater Portland area including Windham at 835 Roosevelt Trail, the locally owned dry cleaning company has been providing garment care in Southern Maine since 1944.

This year, Pratt Abbott opened a brand-new Express Laundry Center in Windham. The upgraded facility has 76 new, state-of-the-art washers and dryers that make doing laundry a quick and pleasant task. Large-capacity machines are great for large families, or for oversized loads like comforters. The Windham store also offers free WiFi and free coffee. But the most exciting convenience for customers is the mobile payment system powered by Laundry Boss. This futuristic system lets you use a kiosk or download an app to operate your washers and dryers right on your phone or tablet. No more cards or coins! You can easily use it to add more time or change settings, and it will alert you when your laundry is done. Windham is one of two Pratt Abbott stores to debut Laundry Boss this year.

Innovation is important to Pratt Abbott, which has also invested in the most eco-friendly dry cleaning processes available to become the greenest cleaner in Maine. From using nontoxic cleaning agents to recycling to reducing its water and electricity footprint, Pratt Abbott uses cutting-edge technology to ensure sustainability. With this environmentally friendly amenity, one can expect their dresses, suits, sweaters and other clothing returned in a softer and cleaner condition than before without that "dry cleaning smell." It is important to note that Pratt Abbott does not outsource their cleaning and the clothing never leaves their care. All dry cleaning is done in-house.

Pratt Abbott is committed to quality at all levels of operation. Since the business’ inception 74 years ago, Pratt Abbott has been an independent and family owned business. It has only changed ownership three times, with the Machesney family as the current proprietors. “I purchased Pratt Abbott in 1991 from a family who bought the business in approximately 1956 from the original owners,” explained David Machesney, stating he enjoys continuing the tradition established by the original and local families of Pratt and Abbott.

David Machesney

This family dedication to service includes an unmatched level of pride in one’s work is catching and filters down to the Pratt Abbott staff. As a result, the garment cleaning company has recently received several honors, including the SBA’s Maine Family Owned Business Award and The Knot’s Hall of Fame for their wedding garment care services. “It’s a testament of how well our staff perform their responsibilities and take pride in the services we offer,” Machesney stated about the trained professionals. “There are very few of these awards given out each year.”

The wedding garment service not only includes wedding dress restoration and pre-ceremony cleaning but also includes steaming or pressing the wedding dress onsite at the wedding or other location. This service is not only offered for the bride to be, but for the entire wedding party as well.

Additional services at Pratt Abbott include:

·         Shirt services

·         Free seasonal storage

·         Household dry cleaning and washing for rugs, feather pillows, curtains, comforters, etc.

·         Alterations and repairs

·         Free delivery

Pratt Abbott’s free delivery service is of particular interest to busy professionals, senior citizens, new families, and others who are looking to save time and improve quality of life. Rather than dropping and picking up your clothes at the store, Pratt Abbott will come to your house or office for free. It’s a remarkable service reminiscent of “the milk man” and other old-fashioned, small town conveniences.

The company also gives back to the community in a variety of ways. One service Pratt Abbott provides is free dry-cleaning services for the American Flag. “Pratt Abbott has been offering free flag cleaning for 30 years,” Machesney stated. “The flags can be owned by military personnel, schools or by a private individual – if someone owns an American Flag, we clean it for free.”

Pratt Abbott is also known for its Coats for Kids program that was launched in coordination with the Salvation Army in 1983. This program provides gently used winter coats to low-income children in Maine. “If you can easily help a child keep warm in the winter, why wouldn’t you?” Machesney stated when asked about this program.

Machesney is not only proud of the services the company provides or the giving back to the community it offers, but he also speaks fondly of the staff.  “We recently had someone retire after 37 years of working for us,” Machesney began. “She was like family to me and, although I know it was time for her to retire, I was very sad to see her leave.”

He feels this way about all staff who work diligently, giving Pratt Abbott the highly recognized reputation, preferred by many for the company’s dry-cleaning services in Southern Maine. Pratt Abbott is always looking for dedicated, positive and talented employees. For those interested in applying and becoming a part of the Pratt Abbott family, can do so by learning more about the application process at www.prattabbott.com/careers. There is a $100 sign-on bonus after 120 days.

To learn more about the services Pratt Abbott offers, peruse their website at www.prattabbott.com or contact the Windham location, open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., at 892-5379.