Midtown Cleaners

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. A little girl walked into Midtown Cleaners one morning, her eyes wide with wonder as she pointed at something on the counter. "Mommy, what's that funny smell?" she asked. The owner smiled and bent down to her level. ‘That’s our secret perfume,’ he said. ‘It makes your clothes feel like they’re dancing.’ The little girl giggled, and from then on, whenever anyone mentioned Midtown Cleaners, they’d whisper, ‘They must use magic water there!’

2. One day, an envelope slipped from a delivery driver’s hands and landed on the counter of Midtown Cleaners. Written in bold letters across its face were the words: ‘Please return to the person who loves you most.’ The owner picked it up, smiled, and posted it on social media with a note asking if anyone claimed it. Soon enough, dozens of neighbors recognized the handwriting as belonging to their next-door neighbor, who was too shy to admit he’d left it behind. The whole town laughed when they saw him sheepishly walking into the cleaners to collect his precious message.

3. In the early hours of every Tuesday, a faint humming sound would drift through the streets around Midtown Cleaners. At first, no one paid much attention—until one curious neighbor decided to investigate. The neighbor peered inside and saw nothing but empty shelves and quiet machines. Curiosity got the better of them, though, and they left a note on the door: 'Dear Cleaners, your hum is missed!' The next morning, a delivery driver found it and replied with another note: 'We’re fine, just taking our weekly nap.'

4. At midnight each Thursday, a soft chiming could be heard coming from inside Midtown Cleaners. Employees assumed it was just the old safe opening itself, but customers swore they saw a shadowy figure folding shirts in the empty hallway. One Friday morning, a delivery driver arrived early and caught the figure mid-fold. Turned out to be an elderly volunteer named Mr. Jenkins, who’d been helping out for free since his retirement. He’d simply forgotten to clock out on Thursdays! Ever since then, Midtown Cleaners’ staff teases him gently every week, calling it their ‘midnight tradition.’