Janet Davis Cleaners December 2017

“HOT OFF THE PRESS” Dry Cleaning News

(248) 543-0340 | www.janetdaviscleaners.com 27607Woodward Ave., Berkley, MI 48072 | 3645 Maple Rd., Bloomfield, MI 48301

DECEMBER 2017

ALL IN THE FAMILY NAME

degree in finance. I worked as a mortgage broker for some time, and after a while, I decided I wanted something else for my life. The Story of How I Came to Run Janet Davis Cleaners At that time, about 10 years ago, my dad was hiring for management positions at Janet Davis Cleaners and, not knowing that I wanted a career change, asked me if I wanted to come on. He made me an offer to work with the family and as it turned out, I was a good fit for the position. When I was younger, the main reason I never wanted to own the business was because it was the job that kept my dad at work and away from home. I saw how often he had to work, and I decided that I wanted to be home with my family more than my dad was able to be. However, once I understood the business for what it was and the passion my dad had for his work, the idea of running the business grew on me. Over the years, my passion for my job grew, too. One of the coolest things about our business is that we have the perfect mix of old and new. The founding principles of our business, the ones Janet Davis and her father outlined in 1938, are still the values that keep us running, but now we have new technology to help us meet our customers’ expectations. My degree has helped me bring a different perspective to the business, and our metrics have been nailed down to a science. Our values have kept us up and running, and it’s my goal to make sure our technology and processes match those values. Although I treat Janet Davis Cleaners just as I would any other business, it is truly my nameplate and my DNA. I feel a certain sense of pride knowing that my family founded and successfully ran such a highly regarded business, and it’s my job to make sure I live up to that name.

Before Janet Davis Cleaners ever existed, Janet Davis’ father owned a cleaning company inside of Detroit called Rainbow Cleaners. After a few years of business, her father decided to sell the company, and when he did, he signed a noncompete agreement. However, Janet’s father was excellent at what he did, and in 1938, he and Janet founded Janet Davis Cleaners in her name.

Janet Davis Cleaners has been a family-owned business since the beginning. After running the business with her father, Janet married and ran the business with her husband. The business was always hers. When her sons, Frank and Fred, were grown, they took over. Eventually, Fred ran the company by himself. My paternal grandmother was the cousin of Fred and Frank. My dad bought the business from Fred, and today as a fifth generation family memeber, my dad and I run it together. When I was growing up, I never had any intention of working for Janet Davis Cleaners, let alone running it. I worked at the cleaners in high school, just like my siblings, and the only thought that crossed my mind was that I just wasn’t interested in the family business. I attended Michigan State University after high school, and I graduated with honors with a

Happy holidays. We will see you soon!

–Kyle Matthews

1 (248) 543-0340

WHICH CHARITY

Should I Donate To?

At the peak of the holiday season, many Americans find themselves overcome by a spirit of generosity and goodwill. Many people go beyond finding the perfect gift for friends and family and give their time or money to a charitable organization, seeking to make the holidays a little better for those worse off than themselves.

During the holiday season, the foundation of your beautifully presented holiday dinner is the table linens, especially when they have been professionally cleaned and expertly pressed. You take great care to make your meal a stunning success, and the last thing you want to worry about is an awful stain on your holiday table cloth. At Janet Davis Cleaners, we know how busy the holiday season can be, and how something as small as a stain can throw off your dinner preparations. That’s why we offer the highest-quality table linen and napkin cleaning in the area. Food and drink can leave behind tough stains, and dirt and grime can make a brand-new tablecloth look old and weathered. With our expert stain removal, we will do our best to ensure that your tablecloths are returned to you looking as new as the day you bought them. If your linens are heavily soiled, we will not hesitate to soak them in our special solution before a giving them a thorough spin in our commercial washing machines. We also offer a whitening service for white table linens. If you opt for this service, we will add a non-bleach cleaner to the solution to restore the shine to your fabric and give your linens a fresh look. This service is non- aggressive, meaning it will never damage your linens. If your whites don’t shine like they used to, ask us about this service! After your linens have been cleaned, they are hand-finished. Some cleaners machine-finish their linens, but Janet Davis Cleaners believes in offering only the best services possible. So we individually hand-finish each tablecloth and napkin in our care. In addition, we place the finished linens on cylinder-based hangers to ensure your tablecloth is returned looking neat and pressed, without unwanted creases. Also, be sure to take advantage of our free pickup and delivery service! This is a busy time of year, and we are happy to make dry cleaning as easy and convenient for you as possible. If your table linens need a thorough cleaning before your holiday dinner, call Janet Davis Cleaners at (248) 543-0340 to sign up for our pickup and delivery service. ARE YOUR LINENS HOLIDAY DINNER READY?

But with thousands upon thousands of charities to choose from, how we do ensure our dollars are truly going to the best possible cause?

It may seem obvious, but it’s best not to hand your credit card info to an anonymous organization soliciting your aid. The IRS has little regulatory power over most charitable organizations since they don’t typically pay taxes. As a result, it’s all too easy to be defrauded.

“Never give a gift where you didn’t initiate the communication,” advises Tim Meisenheimer, a certified financial planner. Calls can be a red flag, as charities who employ telemarketers are much less likely to receive the entirety of your donation. If you’re donating online, he also advises you to check that there’s a “https” at the beginning of the URL, which indicates a secure connection.

But the best way to avoid shady scammers is to research the charity before you hand over your cash. One helpful resource is CharityNavigator.org, a charity-screening website where you can scrutinize a charity’s rating, spending habits, category, and much more. When examining a charity, they look for all kinds of red flags, such as if they spend more than one-third of their budget on administrative costs or if they aren’t forthcoming about their operations and expenditures. If you’re unsure of where to donate, check out their list of “Charities With Perfect Scores.” If you want to provide humanitarian aid, Direct Relief (DirectRelief. org) is a well-known charity, and it has a perfect rating of 100 on Charity Navigator. They provide medical treatment in resource-poor communities. If you’re more inclined to protect the environment, check out The Conservation Fund (ConservationFund.org), which seeks to preserve natural resources while fostering economic development in America. Education-minded donors should look up Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO-usa.org), another organization with a perfect 100 from Charity Navigator. They strive to provide robust education for underserved communities. There are thousands of excellent charities to donate to, and many of them are probably right in your backyard.

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How to Avoid Clothing Disasters

Imagine this: You wake up in the morning and get dressed for an important interview. After you make your way downstairs to grab your coffee and keys, your dog comes bounding down the stairs to see you off. Startled, you spill some coffee on your best pair of pants. What do you do now? The first step in stain removal is to determine what kind of stain you are dealing with. Is the stain water or oil-based? Water-based stains, such as coffee, tea, or milk, leave a ring around the stain. Oil-based stains, like most salad dressings, makeup, and food grease, leave a dark or blotchy stain with no ring or outline. After determining which kind of stain you are dealing with, the next step is to blot — not rub! — the garment. Blotting both absorbs the spilled substance and prevents the stain from spreading. If the spot is oil-based, stop here and plan on having your garment dry cleaned. Blotting the affected area is as much as you can do without making the spot worse. After dry-blotting a water-based stain, dip a cloth in water and wring half of the water out. Then, squeeze the rest of the water onto the affected area. Place your cloth on each side of the fabric, and blot the SUDOKU

stain. After wet-blotting, there is a good chance you can comfortably wear your garment until you can get it to the dry cleaners.

Although these steps can be useful in a crunch, it is important to be aware of the fabric you are wearing before trying to remove the stain. Any garment labeled “dry clean only,” such as silk, may be damaged when blotting with water. Although it may be tempting to try and work the spot out before you take your garment to the cleaners, it is best to leave the stain alone so you do not damage your garment.

It only takes 3 ingredients to make these crispy, flavorful potatoes. They’re the perfect side dish for any meal. ROASTED PARMESAN Pesto Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

•

2 pounds red potatoes, quartered

•

Salt and pepper, to taste

•

3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

•

2 tablespoons basil pesto

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. In large bowl, combine

3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese

evenly over potatoes and put pan back in the oven. Roast for additional 10–15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and crispy. Remove from oven and serve warm.

potatoes and pesto. Toss to coat. Transfer potatoes to large baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast 20 minutes and remove from oven.

Recipe courtesy of TwoPeasAndTheirPod.com.

3 (248) 543-0340

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

Monday - Friday 7am-7pm Saturday 8am-5pm

27607Woodward Ave Berkley, MI 48072

(248) 543-0340 www.janetdaviscleaners.com INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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The Legacy of Janet Davis

Which Charity Should I Donate To?

Make Your Table Linens New Again

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Quick Tips for Stain Removal

Roasted Parmesan Pesto Potatoes

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Schuss Mountain: The Perfect Getaway

AWINTERWONDERLAND GETAWAY Visit Shanty Creek Resort’s Schuss Mountain This New Year

Looking for a fun family vacation for the new year? Try Shanty Creek’s Schuss Mountain Resort.

itself boasts 43 alpine ski slopes, the Monster Terrain Park, a variety of ski-in-ski-out condos, Ivan’s Après-ski restaurant and tavern, and the Mountain Creek Club Pub (members only). At Schuss Mountain, winter getaways are warmed by friendly staff greetings and festive outdoor bonfires. Schuss Mountain’s Monster Terrain Park has rails and small jumps for beginners and full and half pipes for experienced snowboarders. The five- lane tubing hill provides the perfect spot for the family to play together, and the resort limits tickets to avoid overcrowding. It’s no wonder that OnTheSnow.com readers named Schuss Mountain “the best downhill terrain in the Midwest.” The resort also offers children’s ski and snowboard programs, starting at age 3. While kids participate in lessons on the bunny hill, parents can tackle the more challenging slopes. Also, if you are traveling with a baby or a toddler, you are welcome to use the Shanty Creek Children’s Center, which provides supervision and activities for children ages 2 months to 5 years. Overall, Shanty Creek’s Schuss Mountain is the perfect place for a winter getaway. For more information and to book lodging, visit ShantyCreek.com, email [email protected], or call (866) 695-5010.

Shanty Creek Resort, located in Bellaire, Michigan, is a four- season destination resort and conference center. Spanning 4,500 acres, the resort contains three villages: Summit, Schuss Mountain, and Cedar River. Each village contains lodging, dining, golf, downhill skiing, and cross- country trails.

Once known as the Kingdom of Schuss, Schuss Village remains an iconic Michigan ski resort favorite. The village exudes Alps-inspired European charm with ornamental architecture from a bygone era. The mountain

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