The Future of Dry Cleaning is Now!

This fall, DashLocker worked with Laura Kightlinger, former Saturday Night Live writer and actress, and a top-notch production team from California to produce three hysterical videos about the future of dry cleaning.

The team spent a full day shooting, starting at 6:30am. I know because as an extra, I had to be there, too! We set up shop next door at the Comic Strip Live, the local comedy club and our amazing neighbor, who generously allowed us to use their lobby as a dressing room.

While Laura was prepping, the film crew tinkered with the lighting and camera angles in our 24/7 dry cleaning location at 1566 2nd ave. As the  closest to Laura in height and build, I got to stand in so that the team could get the right camera angles while she was getting ready next door!

The production team shut the DashLocker store down and put drapes all across the front windows so they could control the lighting and prevent glare. I sat out front, there to help the customers who came to drop off or pick up laundry. With my giant headphones linked to the audio, I could tell when there was a break in the recording so that I could jump in and place laundry bags into lockers.

Besides making jokes about laundry while wearing a hot dog suit or drinking a martini (that one's coming soon!), the new DashLocker commercials are all about getting the word out that there's a new dry cleaning company in town, and we're always open!

DashLocker's Holiday Pick Up Schedule

In case you haven't seen our modified holiday pick up schedule, check out the cheery image above. There's just one more week of delayed service hours in celebration of New Years!

DashLocker's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide

What’s that you say? It’s December 23^rd and you have yet to buy gifts for everyone on your list? Well don’t worry! There’s still time to save yourself from Santa’s naughty list. Here are some great gifts that are low fuss and easy to purchase, even up until the last minute.

1.  Nieces and Nephews

What do nieces and nephews love more than begging you to chase them around the house? Stealing your phone to play Angry Birds, of course. This year, save your phone and your sanity by buying the kids life-size Angry Birds and the Angry Birds board game! These are great last minute presents because they're available anywhere-- Barnes & Noble, Walmart, toy shops, etc. 

Now the kids can lob grumpy birds at evil pigs in real life. From behind the couch, under the table, at the top of the stairs, really anywhere, effectively turning the entire house into a full blown war zone. But hey—that’s their parent’s problem. You get to be the cool aunt or uncle that made their digital dreams appear in all their fluffy perfection for ultimate throwing fun!

2. Girlfriend

Girlfriends love personalized presents, so don’t disappoint your girl this year by getting her another cleaning product. There’s nothing less sexy than a vacuum cleaner, but it can be hard to pick a thoughtful gift in the sea of knickknacks that populate her favorite stores. Instead of adding to the clutter, buy her an experience. 

Purchase a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant and tickets to a movie or play she’s been dying to see. Wine tastings, art galleries, or painting classes work, as well—just make sure it’s an event she would like to attend. Spin the gift as a night on the town, and let her know that if she needs a +1, you left the night wide open.

3. Boyfriend

Again, an experience gift is in order. Buy tickets to a favorite sports team or band performance. This gift is personalized, because it shows you know his favorite team or band, but it's really easily obtained because everything can be purchased online! To make this gift even more special, contact his best friend to see if he can save the date and give the gift of an awesome night out with a buddy!

4. Siblings or Friends

Ah, the brother that you haven’t seen since he left for college, or the sister that’s been living in Paris for the last year! You see them once a season, and buying them gifts is harder than taming an angry weasel. For siblings and a friends, anything is better than nothing. Go with simplicity and purchase one of these gift cards:

• Netflix or Hulu: With hundreds of movies and personalized recommendations, online streaming is the viewing choice of the future. Monthly subscriptions are cheap enough for you to purchase six months of internet goodness—the hardest part is choosing between the services!
• Spotify: Spotify prime members can listen to music on their smart phones, tablets, or in their cars. Customers can even download Spotify music so it’s available offline. If you have a friend who loves to travel or is a digital native, this service will change their life.
• Itunes: An oldie but goodie, no one can go wrong with an Itunes gift card. Whether your friend wants to buy some movies or just rent a new release, Itunes has both options. These cards are good for music and apps as well, and you can include a recommendation in the card to personalize this gift.
• A laundry gift card: Do your friends live near a DashLocker? Then give the gift of a futuristic laundry experience with a DashLocker gift card. There's nothing like easier errands for a thoughtful, easy holiday present. 

5. Parents

Parents are hard to shop for, especially picky paternal figures. I’m double dipping here, but go with the experience gift for parents. Purchase a restaurant gift card or tickets to a show. Offer to attend or bill it as an opportunity to go on a date or out with a friend. Print out directions and reviews to show your parents you really did your homework on this gift—it will seem like you spent months planning a great surprise! 

So what are you waiting for? Open up a new webpage and buy one of these last minute gifts for friends or relatives. And if you have another idea for a great last minute gift, help our readers out by leaving your ideas in the comments!

Care for your Leather Shoes like a Pro

Whether or not you’re rocking the five leather shoes every man must own, we know you’ve spent a lot of time into hunting down the perfect leather shoe. Shoes that are made out of real leather can cost hundreds of dollars, so it’s important to protect this investment by protecting your kicks from weather damage. Winter grime can be deadly for fancy leather, and one season can be enough to totally destroy even the most resilient shoes.

Imagine walking into your next board meeting in these
John Lobb City II Leather Oxford Shoes. They may be pricey,
but caring for them properly can make them an investment!

There’s nothing like the smell of brand new leather, but the material can get old fast. Leather is prone to drying, cracking, and peeling—that means black shoe polish just isn’t enough to keep those babies fresh.

Because dryness is the foremost type of damage to leather, a good shoe-shiner will always keep leather conditioner at the front of their toolbox. Conditioner (with no color) will help keep good leather supple and fresh even in the driest of winters.

Huberd's has a whole line of shoe care items. Let us know your
list of favorite shoe shine products in the comments! 

However, if your leather kicks start to scuff, you’ll need more than conditioner before wearing them to the next big meeting. Use colored shoe polish to fill in the holes between the leather. The polish will even out the tone and hide the scuff marks.

Accidentally power walk into a puddle? With leather, water isn’t a problem. Simply let the shoes dry naturally and recondition the leather. However, most puddles aren’t just water—they contain high amounts of salt from street treatments (especially in the winter). Salt sucks the life out of leather, so it’s important to wash down leather shoes after  rough walk in the slush.

Mix together 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 cup of water, then use a clean rag to dab your leather shoes until the salt is removed. 

And there you have it! You now have the knowledge to defend your leather shoes from slush, salt, puddles, and scuffs-- not to mention a cool talking point for those holiday parties! 

Holiday Discount on Dry Cleaning and Laundry!

Whether you celebrate Festivus, Hanukah, Kwanza, or Christmas, the holiday season is a time for giving and getting!

So while you’re getting busy (or just plain relaxing), DashLocker’s got a present to give you. We’re gifting you $10.00 off your next order of $30.00 or more from now through January 5^th, 2013, with the discount code HOLIDAY10.*

No matter your travel (or party) schedule, all DashLocker locations will continue to be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means you can pick up or drop off your dry cleaning, laundry, or shoe shine at any time.  

However, in order to give our stellar processing team time to spend with family over the holidays, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our pick up and drop off schedule. From December 22^nd, 2012 to January 4^th, 2013, we will be operating under delayed holiday processing hours.  You can find our holiday processing hours here.

Thanks for using DashLocker, and don’t forget to use your $10.00 off before it expires!

Happy holidays,

The DashLocker Team

Ariele, Bill, Caitlin, Donnyl, Robert, and Tristan 

      

The Key to the Dry Cleaning Kingdom is in your Hands!

*This coupon cannot be used in combination with other discounts or promotional vouchers.

Unwrap the best gift ever!

Hey there holiday shoppers,

We’re unveiling a new feature just in time for the holidays—Laundry and Dry Cleaning Gift Cards! It’s potentially the best gift ever. While it may not be a retro Aston Martin, DashLocker Gift Cards are just as tech savvy and don’t need refueling.

Instead of giving loved ones extra errands this holiday season, help them simplify chores with a DashLocker Gift Card! Laundry gift cards are the one size fits all present—perfect for forgetful college students, busy professionals, and social butterflies.

Plus purchasing gift cards is as easy as it gets! Just log into your DashLocker account, click on “Gift Cards,” and place your order. Your friends and family will be smellin’ fresh in no time-- no line standing or deal hunting required!

The key to the dry cleaning kingdom is one purchase away!