The professionals at Mark’s Cleaners include Janie (left), Olga, Toni, Judy, Tracy, owner Mark Arnold and Noeila. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
Driving through Corpus Christi, it’s hard not to notice the iconic slogan, “OMG … Come Drop Your Pants With Us,” displayed on delivery vans and in front of any of Mark’s Cleaners’ five buildings. When it comes to dirty laundry, owner Mark Arnold has a singular sense of humor and a lifetime of experience.
“I grew up in the business,” he said, explaining that his father owned a dry cleaner’s in Conroe when he was a boy. “My brother and I grew up helping him, and 26 years later, my brother bought that same store we grew up in.”
His father also owned a company that built and installed dry cleaning plants across Texas.
“Even as a teenager, I would help my father build these dry cleaning establishments,” Arnold told Corpus Christi Business News. “In fact, I helped build the store that J.R. Viola sold to me, which I own today.”
Arnold served four years in the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school. Once discharged, he opened up his own dry cleaning business in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a few years, he sold it and bought another in San Antonio. He sold that one after a few years as well.
“I was in between jobs, at the time, when I discovered a building for sale in Corpus Christi,” he said. “I liked the city a lot, so I decided to set up my dry cleaning business here. I also moved my parents here and my children here, too.”
His first Corpus Christi business was known as Mark’s $1.50 Cleaners and was located on the corner of Weber and Saratoga. After eight years, he had to close that shop due to circumstances beyond his control, and he left Corpus Christi. Nine years later, he was back.
“When I tried to buy J.R. Viola’s dry cleaning plant 13 years ago, he wouldn’t sell it to me,” Arnold said. “Then, all of a sudden last year, when I found out he was selling, I was anxious to buy it.”
J.R. Viola Cleaners operated in Corpus Christi for 45 years. When Arnold bought it on Sept. 20, 2016, he changed the name to Mark’s Cleaners. The operation has five locations serving the Corpus Christi area and a delivery service for surrounding areas as far as Portland, Calallen and the Island.
“We’re one of the few cleaners that has a delivery service available for pickup and drop-off,” Arnold said. “At all of our five substations, we are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with same-day, in-house service.”
The Arline and McArdle branch has a full-service laundromat with a full-time attendant. Each location offers a discount during one day in the week, Monday through Thursday, along with additional discounts for any uniformed personnel, whether military, state or city first responder.
As a fifth-generation dry cleaning proprietor, Arnold has seen many trends in the industry.
“People dress more casually now then they did 25 years ago and are less likely to dry clean their clothes,” he said. “But when it comes to technology, the dry cleaning machines are more state-of-the-art and computerized. They’re also more environmentally friendly. You don’t have to come into contact with the dry cleaning chemical or cleaning fluids.”
With winter and holiday events just around the corner, Arnold gives the following advice on proper care of garments:
• Avoid storing clothes in a plastic bag.
Most people bring in their winter coats for cleaning then store them in the closet inside a plastic bag. According to Arnold, climate changes in the house can create mold. Also, moths and other insects can live inside those sealed bags, feeding off the clothing.
“People are shocked to discover, after removing their nice fur or leather coat from the plastic bag a year later, that it’s full of holes or brown spots or molded,” Arnold said. “My advice would be to hang it in a hall closet, but don’t put it in a bag.”
• Remove stains immediately!
One of the common mistakes people make, especially with formal or wedding gowns that get food or wine stains, is waiting too long to have them cleaned.
“Sometimes, they will store the clothing with the stain for years and only decide to get it cleaned when they can afford to get it heirloomed,” he said. “By then, those stains have already set in and turned yellow, and now you can’t get them out. You should really clean all your garments before you store them.”
Mark’s Cleaners’ main plant is located at 3237 Ayers Road in Corpus Christi. For more information, call (361) 883-3362 or visit
facebook.com/361markscleaners.
