This story is sponsored by the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.
A family-owned dry cleaning business with roots dating back more than 75 years has returned to Owensboro, bringing a third-generation approach to an industry that continues to evolve while remaining a staple service for many customers.
Nu-Look Cleaners, which operates a location at 3101 Alvey Park Drive East across from Chick-fil-A on Kentucky 54, is part of the broader Nu-Look Family of Cleaners, a company that now operates 11 locations across western Kentucky and southern Indiana.
“We’ve been in the family-owned dry cleaning business under the Nu-Look name since 1970,” owner Noah Mills said. “My grandfather purchased Nu-Look Cleaners in Henderson from a gentleman who had been running it since 1950.”
Mills represents the third generation of ownership and joined the business in 2018 after returning home from college. Since then, the company has expanded beyond Henderson through acquisitions and new locations, adding cleaners in Hopkinsville, Evansville, Newburgh, and Vincennes.
The company’s connection to Owensboro is not new. Mills said Nu-Look previously operated two locations in the city beginning in 1996 before selling them in 2003.
The return to Owensboro came after the company acquired the former Concord Cleaners pickup and drop-off location on Kentucky 54.
“We’ve been trying to get back over there, and this kind of fell in our laps,” Mills said. “We’ve been very happy with it since opening back up in Owensboro.”
While the company maintains storefronts across the region, all cleaning and pressing operations are handled at a centralized facility in Henderson. Drivers transport garments between stores and the processing plant daily, a model Mills said has become increasingly common throughout the industry.
“What the industry switched to about 10 to 15 years ago was this centralized model,” Mills said. “It used to be that every store was its own plant. People just don’t wear as many dry-clean-only items as they once did, so the need for that quick turnaround time isn’t what it used to be.”
That shift has reshaped the dry cleaning industry nationwide.
Mills said modern clothing materials, such as polyester and spandex, have reduced the number of garments that require traditional dry cleaning. At the same time, consumers have increasingly embraced casual attire in workplaces and everyday life.
“I think the definition of dressing up has changed,” Mills said. “It used to be you wore a suit and tie to work every day and definitely wore one to church on Sundays. That’s just not the case anymore.”
Instead, many customers now view dry cleaning and laundry services as a convenience.
“We specialize in what we call ready-to-wear clothing,” Mills said. “People want to be able to go to their closet and find something ready to put on. It’s become more of a time-saving service.”
Mills said while traditional dry cleaning remains important for suits, dress shirts, and formalwear, the company’s business has diversified significantly. Household items such as comforters and bedding now make up a substantial portion of the workload.
“We clean more than 100 comforters a week,” Mills said. “Everybody has these large king-size beds, and a lot of home washers just can’t handle them.”
Alterations have also become a growing segment of the business.
“It’s really hard to find seamstresses nowadays,” Mills said. “The need for alterations has definitely picked up over the last year or two.”
Despite challenges facing the industry, Mills remains optimistic about its future.
“When I came into the business, I thought it was something good to get started in, but I didn’t see it being something I’d do the rest of my life,” he said. “In the last five years, I’ve totally changed my opinion on that and realized it is a service that people like to have.”
He believes dry cleaners continue to occupy a unique place in communities, particularly family-owned operations that have served customers for generations.
“Everybody knows what a dry cleaner is. They just don’t know what happened to dry cleaners,” Mills said. “They were always a staple in every community.”
Many smaller communities no longer have local dry cleaners, a trend Mills said has continued across the region. Yet he sees opportunities for businesses that focus on customer service and long-term relationships.
“What we always try to tell people is that when we go to do something, we’re not doing it as a make-some-money-quick type thing,” Mills said. “We like being involved in the communities we’re in and try to stay open and in business for a long time.”
In addition to its Kentucky 54 storefront, Nu-Look also provides pickup and drop-off service through The Laundry Room on Old Hartford Road, continuing a service previously offered there by another cleaner.
For Mills, the Owensboro expansion represents more than business growth. It is a continuation of a family legacy that now spans three generations and multiple communities across the region.
“We’ve had some good success over in Owensboro that we want to continue,” Mills said. “We’ve been trying to get back over there, and this kind of fell in our laps. We’ve been very happy with it.”
The Chamber Member of the Week program is a Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce membership benefit. Founded in 1913, the Chamber has worked to provide valuable benefits and services to member businesses and individuals for over a century.
Today, with nearly 1,000 members, the Chamber is a guiding force in community and business development initiatives and serves as the center of business advocacy for the Greater Owensboro region.
To learn more about becoming the Chamber Member of the Week or inquire about Chamber membership, contact Kitty Jones, director of membership, at 270-926-1860 or [email protected].
