I'd give this business and its owners 10 stars if I could. In late June 2016 I went in to have an official photograph taken a week before the cutoff date for an Army promotion board and just three days before I had to leave for a family vacation to the east coast. I had checked my uniform the week prior and it was good, but when I arrived at the photo lab my coat and pants were so wrinkled I didn't bother taking the photo. With time of the essence I needed a cleaner who would be competent and quick. Every cleaner near Fort Sam Houston had poor reviews, and I get my hair cut a few door down from Arcadia Grove Cleaners, so I said a prayer and took the uniform in.
The woman who greeted me appeared to be the owner's daughter. She was polite initially, but after talking with her a bit she warmed up more and was genuinely nice. The gentleman I presume is the owner and her dad came off a touch gruff initially but was also very nice once we talked for a moment. (I later thought about this, and it occurred to me that in this area of San Antonio a business sees all kinds of customers: many are relatively wealthy and think they are special; some are poor and trying to rip businesses off to "get by;" and some people are just plain rude or unreasonably demanding. One of the most important lessons I've learned as a white-collar professional is the importance and value of protecting my time, which includes refusing unreasonable demands or those that completely break down systems I have in place to operate efficiently. I'm not saying those who have negative reviews of this business are unreasonable; I'm saying I can understand if business owners are initially a bit careful in their interactions with new customers to avoid being taken advantage of.)
Bottom line: they turned the uniform around in a day for me so I could get my official photo taken before the family vacation, and it was flawless. I don't use dry cleaners very often, but when I need dry cleaning services I won't go anywhere else. Highly recommended!
Post script: I was recently selected for promotion and promoted to lieutenant colonel. Because of the absurd importance the Army places on official photographs a career's worth of hard work could have been wasted because of a wrinkled uniform. Arcadia Grove Cleaners literally saved my career. I can't thank them enough for their kindness and professionalism! read more