LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Firmly pressed and steamed pants are often hanging up at Parrot Cleaners in Louisville. Also hanging around is the financial headache caused by cooling-but-persistent inflation.

What You Need To Know

  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the inflation rate has decreased since peaking in May 2021

  • Measured year over year, inflation slowed to just 4% in May — the lowest 12-month figure in over two years and well below April’s 4.9% annual rise 

  • Ken Rapier has worked in the dry cleaning business for nearly 35 years and worked for his father’s dry cleaning shop

  • His business, and many other dry cleaners, are trying to catch up from the demand for increased wages

Owner Ken Rapier is seeing an increase in clothing items being scanned into Parrot’s system, which is a positive sign while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We’ve seen volume grow back,” he said. “Covid really kicked us in the teeth real bad. We noticed a real drop in business and we’ve slowly grown back.”

But the business, which has been running since the 1920s, is trying to catch up from the demand for increased wages. 

“We had to go up so much on salaries that our prices have still not caught up. We’re still probably behind a price increase, which we’ll probably do in July.” 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the inflation rate has decreased. Measured year over year, inflation slowed to just 4% in May — the lowest 12-month figure since May 2021 and well below April’s 4.9% annual rise.

Rapier has worked in the dry cleaning business for nearly 35 years and worked for his father’s dry cleaning shop. But now that he‘s taken the reins of two dry cleaning plants, he said maintaining satisfied employees is key.  

“Employees are our biggest plus. That’s our biggest number. They’re the most important thing next to our customers,” Rapier said. “You could have all the work in the world and not enough employees to do it, and then you’re in trouble.”

Rapier said some processes of dry cleaning are an art form—skills that need repetitive practice to master. One of these employees is Jimmy Williams, who started working in dry cleaning when he was 16. It’s a profession that has been in his family for over 65 years. 

“Once you learn it, it’s sort of a skill no one else has and it’s really hard to train someone to do it,” Williams said. 

Because of the lack of other staff, Williams’ typical daily duties have changed.

“Before Covid, I worked mainly in the office. Since Covid, I probably spend about 2-3 hours a week in the office instead,” Williams explained.

Rapier says his business is not alone. 

“The existing staff we have are great. Like I said, our customers are great, we just need to keep growing,” Rapier said. “We just need to get ahead of inflation. And I’ve talked to other cleaners, I’ve talked to other businesses and everybody is experiencing the same thing.”

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