Is doing the work on site actually better?

For non routine work and when something goes wrong, yes, because a person can look at your garment and make a decision. For routine everyday cleaning a central plant does a perfectly good job, often cheaper.

Running a plant costs more than running a counter, so we are not the cheapest and we will not pretend to be. What you get is real same day capability and local accountability.

How do I tell what my current cleaner does?

Ask whether the cleaning happens in that building, whether same day is possible, and whether someone can look at one specific garment tomorrow. Evasiveness on the first question is the answer.

Watercolour illustration of the La Mar 1 Hour Dry Cleaners storefront with delivery vans

Why a 1962 Family Cleaner Still Does Everything In House

September 2026

The economics of this industry point in one direction, and have for thirty years. Consolidate the cleaning into one large facility, turn the shops into collection counters, and run volume through the middle. It is cheaper per garment and it is why most places with a dry cleaner sign above the door do not clean anything on site.

We have been on Pembroke Road since 1962 and we still do all of it here. That is a choice, and it is worth being honest about both sides of it.

What it costs us

Running a plant is more expensive than running a counter. Equipment, maintenance, space and skilled staff are all real costs that a collection point does not carry. We are not cheaper than a counter operation and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

What it gets you

Speed that is real. Same day is possible because there is no round trip and no external queue. A counter cannot honestly offer that on most items, which is why the standard answer there is two or three days.

Someone who can actually look at it. If you call about a specific garment, someone walks over and looks at it. That sounds small until something has gone wrong and you are talking to a person who has to email a facility in another city.

Judgement applied to your item. Most garments are routine. The ones that are not, an unusual stain, a fragile fabric, something with sentimental value, need a person to make a decision while looking at it. Notes on a ticket travelling to a high volume plant are a poor substitute.

Accountability that is local. We see the same people in the same neighbourhood every week. That is a more effective constraint on standards than any policy document.

The honest counterpoint

Central plants are not bad. They are consistent, efficient, and for routine shirts and everyday cleaning they do a perfectly good job. If price is your main consideration, they are a reasonable choice and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.

The difference shows up on the non routine work and on the day something goes wrong.

How to check any cleaner, including us

Is the cleaning done in this building?
Can I get same day service, and on what?
If I call tomorrow about one garment, can someone look at it?
Who handles it when something goes wrong?

Ask directly. Most counter operations will tell you straight if asked, and evasiveness on the first question is itself the answer.

Since 1962

Longevity is not a quality claim on its own, plenty of things last a long time without being good. What it does mean is that the same family has been answerable to the same neighbourhood for over sixty years, and that the people handling your clothes will still be here next year.

Try us

Free pickup and delivery across Broward and northern Miami-Dade. Call 954 983 7519 or request a free pickup. See why choose La Mar.

La Mar 1 Hour Dry Cleaners, 6430 Pembroke Rd, Miramar, FL 33023.