John Porter Dry Cleaning in Oakham marks 30th anniversary

A father and son are celebrating 30 years in business together.

John Porter Dry Cleaning opened its doors in Oakham in December 1993.

John and Paul Porter had both worked in the machinery and manufacturing side of the dry cleaning industry, but decided to set up their own business.

Initially there was competition in the town from dry cleaning firm Sketchley, but that closed within a year of the Porters opening in Market Street.They went on to win a string of citizen awards from the Rutland Times newspaper.

Paul said: “We wanted to offer something better than anything else around, based on good quality dry cleaning and excellent customer service.We haven’t strayed from these key principles and are still here 30 years later.”

John, 87, stepped down from the day-to-day running of the business during the pandemic, leaving his son to manage the shop. The team also continue to support the fundraising group For Rutland by collecting and delivering clothes for its annual clothing sale.

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Paul added: “We still have customers who have been with us since day one and lots of them will just come in for a chat. We treat them as we like to be treated when we go out to shop.

“We’re thankful to our small team of dedicated staff and our many loyal customers.”