Shop Local: May-SOM Cleaners

Stop by May-SOM Cleaners and meet a man who revels in saving good clothing from bad experiences, and serving it back up to you fresh and clean and wrapped in filmy protective plastic.

In fact, the greasy splat where your cheeseburger encountered your best trousers will make proprietor Kenneth L. Chambers Jr.’s day. “I get people calling in a panic, and tell them to just bring (the garment) in. The best thing to do is to do nothing, no home remedies.”

Chambers learned his techniques 25 years ago at the Northeast Ohio Fabric Care Institute, a class sponsored by the International Fabric Care Institute. “It was a priceless experience. We all left with certifications and an in-depth understanding of the dry cleaning industry,” he said.

He was a Cuyahoga Community College student at the time, and his adviser said, “You ought to get your own store.” So that’s what he did, at 27. He’s owned several shops since, from Twinsburg to Lakewood, “You name it,” he said.

“Now this is it, the last of the Mohicans. I like the location and I like the people in this neighborhood. After this one, it’s a wrap.” He’s owned the shop at 6635 Mayfield Road, Mayfield Heights, between Interstate 271 and SOM Center Road, for six years. Previously, he did the shop’s work at a dry cleaning plant he owned.

Chambers' spirit didn’t waver even when construction on Mayfield Road battered
profits. “In business you have good days, bad days; good years, bad years. You suck it up,” Chambers said. “I’m not getting rich, but I like what I do.”

Be aware when you encounter Chambers, you’ve met a philosopher. “Over the span
of our lives, it’s a speckle of dust. Whoever it was who put us here didn’t put us here to worry.

“ I’m happy every time I get out of the bed. I don’t spend time worrying.”