After Almost 60 years, Meurice Closes Iconic Downtown Garment Care Store
But don’t worry, we’re always in style.
Wayne, Elle, and Booger in front of Meurice Downtown.
Meurice’s 31 University Place location in The Village has been the brand’s most recognizable facade – just a stone-throw from NYU, right next to bustling Washington Square Park – our purple letters reminding passersby of a name that has been a part of New York history since 1961.
But what’s the story behind Meurice’s oldest storefront?
Meurice began when founder Larry Edelman opened a family dry-cleaning business and a fire forced them to move out of their original spot. He found University Place, fell in love with the location, and the rest is history. Since 1961, Meurice has been Manhattan’s go-to for luxury garment care – from dry cleaning delivery to restoration, to interior cleaning to tailoring.
Larry Edelman (left) with Wayne Edelman (right). Photo taken by Marleen Cohen, COO of Meurice.
Wayne Edelman, Meurice President and CEO, took over the business from his father in 1985 and remembers all the great times and wonderful people University Place brought over the many years. Even if we didn’t see our customers in the store, dry cleaning delivery became a hit for bringing quality cleaning to the stoops of every New Yorker.
“It’s ironic,” said Wayne reflecting back, “We moved into this location because of unforeseen circumstances, and now we’re moving out for similar reasons.”
But he optimistically added, “We ended up here by chance, though, and then stayed for almost 60 years, I’d call that a win.”
Celebrities and their most prized outfits have walked through the door – from Princess Diana to Gwyneth Paltrow. Thousands of lively, glamorous New Yorkers and even more beautiful garments. All the while being cared for by the same family since the beginning.
Moving On (& Up)
Inspired by famous clients and his family's dogs that became the face of the original logo, Wayne and his father built and remodeled the place multiple times.
“Feels weird to be taking everything down knowing you’re not going to put it back together,” Wayne said, as he dismantled the racks from the back of the store. “Feels like yesterday that I put all these racks together.”
The back of the store was slowly emptied out, and the front waiting room echoed without the furniture – the storefront now features decals containing information about Meurice’s next moves. Tough times call for big moves, though, and the University Place location wasn’t feasible anymore. Meurice has no plans to go without a storefront in Manhattan, however, so we’re on the lookout for locations Uptown.
“We’re keeping a positive outlook right now, and we’re looking all over the city for a new place.” Wayne said. “We see this change in real estate as an opportunity for our brand – we can re-evaluate and find a more sustainable location for us and our customers.”
The iconic black marble backdrop of the store will be repurposed, and the signs will go in the Meurice Headquarters. Meurice has no plans to slow operations – in fact, we’re expanding dry cleaning delivery and pick up. We’ve got more delivery trucks on the road, and we’re expanding routes to accommodate for customers that would usually go to University Place. Operations in Manhasset are as usual, and we still have our headquarters and warehouse fully operational.
As we leave The Village, we’d like to thank each and every customer for coming in and entrusting us with your garment care. We’re searching for our next brick-and-mortar – a place that will be convenient for both us and our clients and the future of dry cleaning delivery.
Looking Forward
We’re excited for what’s next. We’re on the hunt for Meurice’s next milestone. In the meantime, we’ve expanded our complimentary dry cleaning delivery and pickup routes as well as our Customer Experience Team to make sure we’re still bringing the Meurice Touch to all of our Manhattan customers. We’re still offering our COVID-reccomended services, as well as interior cleaning. We’re still dedicated to keeping you safe, healthy, and above all, clean. Simply give us a call or schedule online through your account. Meurice Long Island is still operating normally.
Until then, as always – if you have any questions about Meurice or have suggestions for our next move, reach out to Wayne at wayne@garmentcare.com.