FAMILY CLEANING BUSINESS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Fishman’s feted for chemical-free service and continuing sustainability efforts
Many businesses go that extra mile to be the best at what they do and improve services to customers, and one longtime Calgary company has been rewarded for those efforts.
Fishman’s Personal Care Cleaners has achieved national recognition, winning the Canadian Business Sustainability Award through the Canadian Fabricare Association for its efforts to offer cancer-free cleaning by being
100 per cent solvent free.
Owner Sheldon Fishman says many cleaners have been cutting down on percs (perchloroethylene) but 80 per cent still use the chemical. He says his company is the only one in the city that has removed all perc and dry solvents, and other commonly used dry cleaning chemicals, by converting to a totally wet cleaning garment-care process.
Fishman and his family — wife Tasha is responsible for marketing and development — have a deep desire to care for the health of their clients and the planet, keeping carcinogens and volatile compounds out of garments.
His business is third generation in this city, founded by his grandparents, Lily and Jack
Fishman, in 1945 in Inglewood as Economy Cleaners. There have been ups and downs over the past 75 years but since his late father, Benny, relocated it to its main plant on 17th Avenue S.W. and father and son changed the name to Fishman’s in 2000, the company has prospered. It currently has a staff of 55 and nine stores around the city, plus a warehouse facility on Manila Road S.E.
Always ready to improve service to meet the needs of customers, pickup and delivery has become 50 per cent of its business from more than 2,500 regular clients who take advantage of not having to drive to get their cleaning done.
The services have been expanded to include cleaning of linens and area rugs, alterations, and repairs and restyling by expert seamstresses and seven in-house tailors. Full shoe repair service has become a welcome offering by staff member Sammy the cobbler — Haissam Mastapha — a Lebanese native whom the Fishmans recently helped become a proud citizen of Canada.
The Fishman family business has a strong sense of community. Sheldon is a huge fan of the Stampeders and picks up and cleans personal clothing of all members of the team at no cost.
Tasha is an ambassador of Gems for Gems and has formed a partnership with Dress for Success, providing free cleaning, alterations and shoe repair for all donated items. She is also helping with a repurpose spring fashion show at GSL GM City when Dress for Success will be the recipient of funds raised. Fishman’s will pick up donated clothing from their customers, clean and repair all items, and store them until the gala event.
The association award, judged by a panel of industry experts from across the country, reflects the commitment by Fishman’s to provide a non-toxic service and preserve our environment. And the biggest retail wet cleaner in Canada is working on more sustainable improvements with the help of its engineer, including a method of recapturing heat from boilers and equipment, more recycling and filtering of water, recapturing sodium bicarbonate as a byproduct to make its own brand of healthy soap, reusing packaging and, although all of its bags are biodegradable, the search is on for a plant-based provider.
NOTES:
Satoyume has a mission to introduce Japan’s natural products to the rest of the world, and next week the company’s CEO Shumpel Shimada is making his second visit to Calgary to showcase Japanese ingredients from the Chiba prefecture and instruct chefs, restaurant owners and buyers from retail stores on their use. He will be accompanied by Calgary chef Kanlaya Ngamkum, who represents Satoyume and is expert in recipes using the company’s ingredients, including dried bonito, miso, yamato yam and zuki-bean jelly, accompanied by a glass of shochu or sake.
It is sad to see so many empty retail spaces around the city. Too bad the For Lease sign is up on the windows of the prime corner location of 10th Street and Memorial Drive N.W. that for may years was home to Julio’s Barrio, and it’s a surprise to see the former downtown home of Gainsborough Galleries still vacant.