Company CEO Hopes to Honor the Past and Forge Paths Towards the Future for Minority-Led Business With This Expansion
NEW YORK, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Juliette, the innovative laundry and dry-cleaning company that sits at the intersection of fashion, lifestyle, and technology, continues to thrive in spite of the challenges faced over the past two years: While the industry lost approximately 80 percent of revenue during Covid, Juliette founder and CEO Rechelle Balanzat is making up for lost time surpassing its 2019 revenue numbers last October. The city is bustling with activity again and with it returns a demand for reliable pick up and drop off laundry services. Coming off the financial growth of 2021, Juliette is delighted to announce its expansion, having recently acquired the established Manhattan company, Chinese Laundry Inc. and with it, a forgotten art of laundry. The timing of this announcement coincides with AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) heritage month, further igniting Rechelle's desire to share the history of laundry services in America.
The art of Chinese Laundry has foundations steeped in tradition: Its very name makes reference to the meticulous practice of hand washed/pressed laundry, and is one of the few remaining establishments in the city that offers the technique. The name itself has carried a negative connotation and an unjustified stereotype assigned to the Asian community that Balanzat plans to change. As the new owner, Balanzat is eager to bring the Juliette brand and technology to the existing business. She also quickly discovered a whole new side of the industry that she wants to preserve. Balanzat plans on reimagining the traditional art of hand finished garments and introducing it as a new luxury service to New Yorkers.
"At Juliette, we will be able to preserve the Chinese laundry tradition and technique for doing things by hand. As a non-Chinese, non-family member - I'm really honored and touched that the previous owner trusts me with preserving not only her family legacy - but the legacy of all the Chinese immigrants who came before. As an Asian, and as an immigrant myself - I'm proud to be able to bridge the gap between the old world and the new world.... to usher in this lost art and bring it to the 21st century."
Chinese Laundry has a rich history in NYC that starts in the early twentieth century, as many Chinese immigrating to America were overlooked for jobs because of the language barrier and told to stick to laundry and dry cleaning, a task Western culture felt to be above. Despite being a family owned business for over 100 years, Chinese Laundry Inc. chose to sell because they believe that through Juliette, the art and tradition of Chinese Laundry will be revitalized for a 21st century clientele, a goal the family was not capable of achieving.
Using innovative solutions that leverage data analytics and AI, Juliette is conquering the industry by bringing together the best of technology and beauty for a laundry experience like no other. Currently offering pickup and drop off throughout Manhattan, the Juliette blueprint will be expanding to surrounding boroughs this year.
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About Juliette and Rechelle Balanzat:
Juliette breathes new life and luxury into the laundry & dry cleaning industry. With a singular focus on becoming the category leader, Juliette is redefining how the industry operates. Relentlessly pursuing what clients truly desire - trust, a touch of excitement, and the arousal of inner confidence.
A thrice time entrepreneur, founder and CEO Rechelle Balanzat immigrated from the Philippines with her parents as a teenager. She graduated from Fordham and has a background in tech. She successfully completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program; she is a 2019 Tory Burch Fellow, as well as a graduate of the International Drycleaning & Laundry Institute. She has also been honored by the Philippine Embassy as a Distinguished Filipino Woman.
For more information about Juliette, please visit http://www.juliettecleaners.com
For PR inquiries, please reach out to Sara Spiegel at [email protected]
Media Contact
Sara Spiegel, With Sara PR, 1 9374789235, [email protected]
SOURCE Juliette
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