We chat to Mr Morgan of Morgans Dry Cleaners in Shrewsbury, now the award winning Morgans Dry Cleaners.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So we're here at Morgan's Dry Cleaners in Shrewsbury and Richard, how are you sir?
00:05I'm doing very well, thank you.
00:07So you've had a special accolade haven't you, a little acknowledgement that you're doing something right in the business.
00:12What is it you've entered and what did you win?
00:15The Prestige Central England's Dry Cleaner of the Year.
00:19Yeah, where was that held at then?
00:22It will be held over in Birmingham.
00:25And you've not been in the business all that long have you, when did you take this on?
00:30I took over May last year.
00:32And it used to be called, what was it before?
00:34It used to be Howard's Dry Cleaners.
00:36So they were long established in the town?
00:38Yep, they've been here 100 plus years.
00:41Wow, okay.
00:42So to get a little pat on the back like that so early on, it shows you're doing something right I guess.
00:47I hope so, yes.
00:49What was it that you had to show?
00:52What is it that you're doing here that you think got you the prize sort of thing?
00:57I think just generally being kind to the customers.
01:01Not overcharging the elderly or young hearts.
01:07Discounts to disabled people.
01:10Just looking out for everyone.
01:14Yeah, and it's a nice characterful shop.
01:16We've got the flowers here.
01:18Some old pictures from that heritage before, from the previous owners.
01:23What sort of stuff, what are people bringing in to dry cleaners?
01:27Is it their best jacket that they wear when they go out?
01:30What's the crux of the business these days?
01:34The majority is the suits, dresses, lots of wedding dresses.
01:39But we do the laundry as well, so lots of B&Bs, bedding.
01:46Pillows, duvets.
01:48So how far a reach do you do, is that kind of all across Shropshire you do in place, or Shrewsbury really?
01:54Majority's in Shrewsbury.
01:56We do a five mile radius on free delivery.
02:00Which takes us over to Condover, Pondsbury, just before Church Dretton, then down to Harmerhill.
02:10Yeah, good stuff.
02:12And there's even a giant cuddly lion I've seen at the back there that's been brought in for a cleaner.
02:18I guess you get all sorts of stuff, don't you really?
02:21You get all kinds of ones.
02:23We have a couple of Indian wedding dresses at the moment, which look quite nice.
02:29We've got the Simba Teddy.
02:32We did a pram last year.
02:35A pram? Oh wow.
02:36That's literally something to ask to bring it in.
02:38So we have a lot of churches and bishop robes.
02:42We've got a few British monks who've come in and got a couple of their bits.
02:47Lots of sixties health retreats.
02:51Which are entertaining.
02:54We've got a gentleman who comes in every week with his boiler suit.
02:59Once he looks smart on the job.
03:02Like the children's side of it, we've had lots of teddies.
03:07And a seven foot unicorn outfit.
03:12And a giant pig outfit.
03:14Well that must pose its own challenges really.
03:17Because I guess you're getting...
03:19We had a dressing that Helen Mirren had worn.
03:23Oh did you?
03:24What was all that about then?
03:27We do for Claire Mashavani on the Wildcock.
03:31And she wore it to an awards ceremony.
03:34Is she a dressmaker then is she?
03:36Yes.
03:37Oh wow.
03:39So fantastic.
03:40So you've got your mum in the business.
03:41There's mum, beavering away.
03:45What's it like working with family?
03:47Say nice things Richard.
03:49I always have.
03:50So before basically we had a Scotch egg company.
03:53And we worked together for two years then.
03:55Before that we had a bakery together.
03:57We've been going for ten years.
03:59Go on then Richard, give us a tour of the shop.
04:02Where the magic happens.
04:04So you've got the entrance.
04:06People come in before the outfits.
04:08All the wedding dresses stood behind you.
04:11On the rails.
04:12Ah, wedding dresses yeah.
04:14All shirts on the side.
04:16So looking at those shirts Richard,
04:18do you have people coming in?
04:20They literally bring their general washing.
04:24The shirts start at £2.30 each.
04:27So quite a lot of shirts.
04:29Then you've got our lovely veil.
04:31Which is all in numerical order.
04:33Which is all the items.
04:35It's a nice bit of kit.
04:37It's quite satisfying seeing that spin round isn't it?
04:39Love to build.
04:41This will be mum Lynne.
04:43How you doing Lynne?
04:45I am fine thank you.
04:46You must be proud of Richard.
04:48Mind you, you're part of it aren't you?
04:49So you're grafting as well.
04:50So proud of yourselves really.
04:52It's done really well.
04:53Yeah, yeah.
04:54Is it nice working with your lads?
04:56Yeah, I've worked with Rich for a long time.
04:58So that's good.
04:59That's nice isn't it?
05:00Because sometimes we get to a stage in our life
05:01where we don't always see our kids much.
05:03But it's nice to still, you know, have a...
05:05See a lot of people.
05:06Yeah, yeah, cool.
05:07And then, what happened here then?
05:09So you shrunk this one did you Rich?
05:11We found him in a little locker somewhere.
05:14And then who have we got round here Rich?
05:16Introduce us.
05:17Hello Kim.
05:18You okay love?
05:19Kim's our most experienced cleaner.
05:22Aha.
05:23So have you got like good muscles in them arms?
05:26You know, because...
05:27No, I still look like olive oil.
05:31On Popeye.
05:32I know, on Popeye.
05:33Cool.
05:34What's this bit of kit?
05:35This is where we bag things.
05:36Ah, okay.
05:37So the completed items.
05:40Yeah.
05:41New ones.
05:44And eco-friendly, it's all recyclable plastics.
05:47Okay, interesting.
05:49Yeah, I saw that outside on the...
05:50Ah, wow.
05:52I did not know that.
05:53Plastic covers on them all.
05:55Wow, I did not know that's how it works.
05:56I thought it was just a set of bags that you kind of bought
05:59and had to wriggle and jiggle them.
06:01Cool.
06:02Yes.
06:03So it's all recycled plastic as well.
06:04Fantastic, mate.
06:05Yeah, everything's recycled.
06:06We don't have any plastic tags or anything.
06:09I guess that's part of the reason.
06:11I guess you've got another factor of you getting the award, isn't it?
06:13I guess, all that elements of...
06:14It's more eco-friendly.
06:15Yeah.
06:16We don't use harmful chemicals or elephants.
06:19It's all biological detergents.
06:20Yeah.
06:22And then what happens down here then?
06:24So this is our jacket press.
06:26Ah, okay.
06:29I've never seen one of these.
06:31These are lovely.
06:32Yeah.
06:33Grab a jacket.
06:34Yeah, yeah.
06:35Interesting.
06:37Is that Mr. Davenport in there, I can hear?
06:39Yeah.
06:47Come on.
06:52So this is a way of ironing it effectively, yeah?
06:55It does about 80 cents.
06:57Yeah.
06:58The items still hand over afterwards.
06:59Yeah.
07:03A way of starting off.
07:04Wow.
07:05It helps with the linings.
07:06Yeah.
07:11It's very specialist equipment, isn't it?
07:13You're not popping down to your local hardware store and picking up any of this shit.
07:17Does it behave?
07:19Because there's specialist engineers, I should imagine, involved if one of these goes wrong.
07:24A lot of the time, yes.
07:25Yeah.
07:26Unfortunately.
07:27I do motor machines.
07:28Yeah.
07:29About every year.
07:30You've had to become a self-employed engineer as well, sort of thing.
07:35So it stretches it first.
07:37Yeah.
07:38It opens it up.
07:39You then have it in a layer of steam.
07:40Yeah.
07:41And then you do the hand ironing to it as well.
07:43Ah.
07:46There we go.
07:52So that's kind of popping it out, isn't it then?
07:54Putting some air into it to pop it out.
07:56Is that what it's doing?
07:59Wow.
08:05It's quite satisfying, isn't it, that?
08:08To take something, especially if it's particularly creased.
08:14It's like when I used to shave my mate's head with my clippers.
08:17It was something quite satisfying about that kind of process.
08:21So that's mostly done now.
08:23Yeah.
08:24And then we pass it over to the ladies to do hand ironing afterwards.
08:27Yeah.
08:28It's all touched up to the best possible standards.
08:30Yeah.
08:31So what's the cheapest thing that, you know, you can bring in and pay?
08:36Is it a shirt then, to have a shirt done?
08:39Yeah, I think we have done boxers and pants before.
08:42Yeah.
08:43But we try not to do them.
08:45Yeah.
08:46But shirts are most likely cheapest, about two pounds, two to three pounds.
08:50And then we've got, that's where we've got, that's our Simba.
08:53This is our Simba.
08:54So he's coming for a clean, has he then?
08:55He has, he's very grubby.
08:57Yeah.
08:58It's one of the ladies' daughters.
08:59Anyone with children will fully appreciate what state the children's toys get into.
09:04Our machine here, this is a spotting table.
09:07Yeah.
09:08And you've got the air and steam.
09:10Yeah.
09:11And it'll just clean it off.
09:12A bit of steam, just clean it off.
09:14Oh, yeah, yeah.
09:16And it gets rid of.
09:20Interesting.
09:22And just helps with all the stains.
09:24Yeah, yeah.
09:26So who's in here then?
09:27Who's this chap?
09:29This is a man hiding.
09:32Man hiding.
09:33Hello, Kevin.
09:34How are you, chap?
09:35I'm good, thank you.
09:36Nice to get a pat on the back and, you know, be acknowledged for the good work you're doing here, isn't it, Kevin?
09:42Yes.
09:43Have you told him you want a pay rise yet?
09:44I can, every day.
09:45Do you?
09:46Every day.
09:49Cool.
09:50And then you've got your washing machines going.
09:51What's the pony bit of kit, Rich?
09:54So this one's for trousers.
09:56Yeah.
09:59So this is a trouser former.
10:09Trouser former, OK.
10:16It touches the back.
10:17Yeah.
10:18And you find your crease in the middle, or where you want the crease.
10:23Use the pedal.
10:29Oh.
10:30See again on this side?
10:31Yeah.
10:36And then you'll cover it in steam and it gives tension to it, so it's ironed afterwards.
10:41Wow.
10:42All right.
10:44Here we go.
10:45Look at that.
10:46Look at that.
10:51It's come to life.
10:55Well, thank you, Richard, for showing us the world of dry cleaners and congratulations on your award, sir.
11:00Thank you very much.