Pandemic tough on P.E.I. dry cleaner business

P.E.I.'s only commercial laundry and dry cleaning company says COVID-19 has definitely cut into business.

Terry McKenna, ownerof Sterns Laundry,says business is down 40 per cent or more from 2019 levels.

McKenna's family began running the business in 1960.

"I'm very worried, I worry for anyone that's in business that's been affected by COVID."

McKenna saidthe bulk of the business is commercial laundry asthey work on a lot ofdining roomlinens, towels and beddingforhotels.

"We're a big service provider of a lot of the bigger hotels in the Charlottetown area and some of the tourist operations," McKenna said.

"[Hotels]have been taking it right in the chin, and that affects us directly."

McKenna said normally the summer months and early fall can be twice as busy as the rest of the year.

The wage subsidy is an enormous help. Terry McKenna, Sterns Laundry

He said a lack of tourism and convention business and more and more people working from home has also meant fewer people looking for his services.

"Tourism is a huge part of our business."

Government wage subsidies helping

McKenna said he's been able to keep his core staff of about 18 people thanks to government wage subsidies, but in busier times he has employed closer to 30.

I hope all the federal government employees get back to work downtown in their offices. Terry McKenna, Sterns Laundry

"We're trying to keep those people as busy as possible, the wage subsidy is an enormous help," said McKenna.

"It's the reason we've been able to keep our doors open."

McKenna said he's lucky, he's been in the business for a long time but he worries about younger business people who may be carrying more debt.

Plans for new equipment

Sterns is investing in some new equipment that McKenna said is quite timely with public focus on bacteria and viruses during the pandemic.

He's ordered a new ozone cleaning system from Halifax, which he hopes to get installed in the coming months.

"Basically you just don't use soap, you use ozone," he said.

"It's a 99.9 per cent guarantee of killing any virus, any germs at all."

He said he knows the current wash process works as well, but he believes the new system would reassure customers.

Tourism key for business

McKenna thinks his business won't recover until 2023 or 2024.

He said Canadians are conservative when it comes to travel, but he wants to be optimistic and believe thatthings will be able to open up more oncepeople get vaccinated.

"I hope all the federal government employees get back to work downtown in their offices, and I hope we open for the bubble, for the summer," he said.

"We all have our fingers crossed that it's no later than July 1st."

He said they had hoped this summer would be better than last year but now he expects it to be the same.

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