Lapels Dry Cleaning - Franchiser Working through Growing Pains

Rarely do entrepreneurs complain about rapid growth. But after Lapels Cleaners sold its 20th store in October, Franchise owner Larry Friedman brought sales to a halt. In order to rework his franchise plan, Friedman first had to buy out his partners because they didn’t wish to stop sales. Selling was due to begin once more in February with plans to add 30 more stores.

Lapels does business by taking in cleaning and wholesaling the work to real dry cleaners. Mom-and-pop outfits rule the industry, but consolidation attempts continue to erode the numbers of independent stores. In addition to re-opening franchise sales, Friedman plans to purchase existing stores and rebrand them as Lapels, though the company will still be largely dependent on wholesaling.