So you spilled a little wine on that cute new blouse you wore to yesterday’s GNO and that great jacket you picked up last year is ready to be worn now that it’s cooler, but it smells a little musty from sitting in the closet. You check their care labels and see “Dry Clean Only.” Now what?
Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners
Michael Cannon of Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners says the best advice he can offer is to follow the directions on the labels! “Designer and fashionable clothing bear this care label which describes fabrics that may shrink, change colors or lose their shape if washed in water. In order to care for these garments the best way possible, it’s essential that you dry clean them.” He explains, “Dry cleaning is a cleaning process for clothing and textiles that uses a solvent rather than water. As a Sanitone Certified Master Dry Cleaner that uses state of the art dry cleaning and laundry equipment, the professionals at Cannon's Coastal Cleaners are experienced in providing the best care possible for each one of your ‘Dry Clean Only’ and laundry garments.” He adds, “Customers will often think that by using an old wives tale cleaning tip or pre-treating a stain is helping. This can often be the worse thing to do. Blotting a stain to remove excess is fine, however, using remedies such as soda water, salt, or hair spray is only creating another stain for cleaners to remove. Some of the home remedies can actually set or make stains harder, and even impossible, to remove. Color loss may also occur due to improper treatment. The best thing to do is to bring the garment in as soon as possible and explain exactly what the stain is so that it can be treated accordingly.”
Coastal Cleaners was purchased by Eldridge and Bobbie Cannon in 1993, only a year after it opened. The Cannon family motto is “Service is our Business.” They pride themselves on upholding that with a full range of services, convenience, and quality customer service. Michael Cannon says, “We are here to advise and assist customers with any and all needs for the care and cleaning of their garments.”
In 2020, Michael will purchase and take over ownership of the family business. It should be a seamless transition, since the business is in his blood. Michael moved with his parents to St. Simons Island from Montgomery, Alabama in 1993, when they bought Coastal Cleaners. From the time he was 13 years old, he worked there every day after school and during summers through the time he attended college. Michael says he’s excited to take what they have already built and grow it to a new level. He plans to expand services while continuing to provide unparalleled customer service.
He’s well prepared, having learned under the tutelage of his father, Eldridge, and his mother, Bobbie, who he credits for instilling a strong work ethic in him. They were both born and raised in Bainbridge Georgia, where Eldridge grew up in the dry cleaning business. His father, Bill Cannon, owned and operated Cannon’s Cleaners, where Eldridge and his four siblings worked. Eldridge left the dry cleaning business to pursue a career as a corporate pilot and flew for 18 years before being grounded by a lay off. This is when he returned to the dry cleaning world by purchasing Coastal Cleaners and turning it into Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners. A hard worker and dedicated owner-operator, Eldridge devoted himself to turning around the dysfunctional business and grew it to all it is today with the help of Bobbie and his children, Michael, Johnathan, and Melissa. Eldridge is well respected in the industry and was the Vice President of the South Eastern Fabricare Association for three years. He was also a key note speaker at the International Clean Show in 2013 where he spoke about his beginnings, growth, and success, and what it takes to succeed. Michael praises his mother, who had been a registered nurse in Montgomery, and currently serves as its bookkeeper and secretary, as being the “glue” that has kept both the family and business together through the years.
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Eldridge, Bobbie and Michael Cannon
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Chris Moncus
Jessica, Lanier and Michael Cannon with their dog Benjamin Franklin (Ben)
Photos by Chris Moncus Photography
When you drop off that blouse and jacket for cleaning, it really does “take a village.” All three locations of Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners offer a drive-thru service for your convenience where the customer is met with a friendly face. The front counter clerks there excel in customer service. They wait on customers, receiving, identifying and assigning clothing to customers’ accounts using heat seals (barcodes), and return the clothing when completed. Cannon’s was the first dry cleaner in the Southeast to implement heat seals and other cutting-edge technology they have in their business. This enables them to be consistent, accurate, and accountable. Production assistants separate and expedite clothing to the correct presses according to the particular garment as well as which store it will be returned to. Cannon’s pressers use the most current and advanced pressing equipment in the industry to provide a professional finishing to all garments. Every garment is inspected for stains, buttons, pressing quality, special requests or preferences to meet and exceed the customers’ expectations. Using an automated assembly system, the heat seals are scanned and combined with other completed garments to create a finished bundle. Each bundle is then bagged using an automated bagging machine that detects the length in order to not waste any plastic. Finally, the bundle is transported to the correct store where they are alphabetized and scanned to a specific location, ready for you to pick up.
Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners racks
The Cannon family knows every part of that process is important in the steps needed to provide professional service that results in happy customers. Michael shared a story about the “old” days: only a few weeks after his parents bought the business, all of the pressers went to lunch and never came back. The Cannon family then worked to press and complete all the work that had been promised to the customers regardless of the time and sacrifice. Michael assures us that this same type of business ethic continues today. “No matter what happens or who doesn’t show up, Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners keeps their word and will do whatever it takes to honor that.” They have been through times when few workers, unforeseen equipment problems, or other obstacles have forced them to work around the clock or take clothes to another cleaner Eldridge owns in Thomasville to complete the work promised to customers, but it gets done. Michael says, “We keep our word—always have and always will. Especially to our customers, who are the reason why our business is what it is today.”
Michael says that the best advice his dad ever gave him was to reinvest in the company. Some dry cleaners are small, not-so-clean places that hand write everything and have been using the same equipment for the past 20-30 years. Coastal Cleaners began with no computers, used equipment, and no procedures in place. They’ve come a long way! Today, Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners uses fully integrated computer systems in all aspects of their processes. They have the most advanced cleaning and pressing equipment in the industry that is upgraded continually, as advancements are made. They have also implemented procedures and practices that allow them to be the most efficient and accountable as they can be. By taking the success of the business and reinvesting in it as the technology and services in the industry advances, Michael says they can continue to be at the forefront of the dry cleaning business as opposed to the rear.
In closing, Michael stated, “Our finished product speaks for itself. So many people have no idea what a lack of quality they are getting until they have a comparison. We pride ourselves in being the best at what we do and that is why a Cannon family member has been working every day since 1993. We are second and third generation dry cleaners and are the only certified master dry cleaners in Southeast Georgia. I have grown up in this community and want to do my part by providing the Golden Isles with the highest quality service that the community and their garments need and deserve.”
Cannon’s Coastal Cleaners provides services such as:
Professional Dry Cleaning & Laundry - Sheets & Linens - Alterations - Households - Wedding Dress Cleaning, Pressing & Preservation - Leather & Fur Cleaning
Three convenient locations in Brunswick and St. Simons Island. They offer same day and next day service at 126 Retreat Village on the island, and also have pick-up and delivery service available. Call 912.638.2151 for information. In Brunswick, they’re at 3420 4th St. (same day and next day service available; 912.264.2007) and 5446 New Jesup Hwy. (912.466.9447). You can also visit their website at CannonsCoastalCleaners.com.
