Our customers choose us as their preferred dry cleaner because we pride ourselves on delivering a high quality of service unparalleled by others in our market. Our commitment to values like honesty, dependability, and consistency are the foundation of trust that has blessed us with enduring relationships. Our team members are knowledgeable about industry best practices but we don’t rest on our laurels. Our team is enthusiastic about learning new and innovative techniques that they can bring to solve your problems.
We value your trust and would be honored to be your dry cleaner.
Our dry cleaning staff is committed to being of service and they pride themselves on being helpful. They promise to always be courteous and friendly. They know that what they do has tangible results that can be extremely rewarding.
Our production staff is simply the best, with more than 100 years of combined dry cleaning expertise. Our mission is to provide quality service and to take care of the needs of our customers from dry cleaning to shirt laundry and alterations.
History
1915 - PRESENT
1915-1916
A journey begins
Gay Elsie Lloyd gets started in the dry cleaning business. In 1916 she’s the first woman to ask to join the YMBC (Young Men’s Business Club.)
1921
Set in motion
In 1921 Gay along with her father Charles Pickney “CP” Lloyd and brothers Guy Leslie Lloyd, Charles Hugh Lloyd and Harold Hobson Lloyd start working on their own Dry Cleaners which would be called “Lloyds of Springfield.”
1922-1932
An auspicious start
They acquire a building at 216 E Central which had been used by the Assembly of God. They opened their doors in October of 1922 with the phone number of 82.
They were smart in choosing their location, as they were directly across the street from the Greene County Courthouse ~ so naturally they could get business from all the judges, staff, attorneys, and others.
They were very fortunate that Gay had a knack for writing and the ability to convey to consumers the value of dry cleaning. She was so good that in 1926 was asked to do a spot over several weeks on dry cleaning and clothing on KMOX ~ The Voice of St Louis ~ which could be heard down this way, especially at night. She also wrote in the St Louis Post Dispatch. This lead to very growing business in the roaring 20’s.
The establishment of the need for dry cleaning in 1920’s helped them through the 1930’s and prepared them for the post WWII boom. They would repair sports uniforms and made aside business of that. Guy’s son Jack Lloyd and Charle Hugh Lloyd were big into Kiwanis Baseball and sponsored many teams.
1933-1953
Tragedy strikes
One by one they started losing family members Charles Pinckney Lloyd in 1933 at 65, Harold Hobson Lloyd in 1951 at 53 and Guy Leslie Lloyd in 1953 at 62. Although they had pick up locations, delivery and locations in other towns, 216 E. Central was their main location and continued to grow. They also got into donating clothing that was left and not pickup from storage helping many over the years.
1973
Passing the torch
After 51 years in business the Lloyd family sold the business. Gay Elsie Lloyd-Sprong, and her sister Helen Ester Lloyd-Snow, and brother Charles Hugh Lloyd though it was time to retire. Especially for Gay as she had been in the business for about 60 years. She would pass in 1984 at 92.