10 YEARS AGO. It's a Renter's Market, Dry Cleaners Say - Almost half of dry cleaners responding to the "Talk of the Trade" survey (46.4%) believed it was time to sign or renegotiate a lease because of ongoing softness in the commercial real estate market. Indeed, more than a quarter (27.6%) had plans to do just that. "Some landlords are starting to see the light and lower their rents just to fill the spaces," one operator reported. "But too many are holding out for enough to cover their mortgage payments, and they're just not going to get it because of all the empty commercial space available." 35 YEARS AGO. Simple Device Facilitates Ordering of Supplies - OBOS Inc. announced a device for distributors of repeatedly used supplies to make ordering easier on both the dry cleaner and the distributor. The 7"x 6" device produced by OBOS - an acronym for "One Button Ordering System" - came preprogrammed with the distributor's telephone number and was tied into the existing telephone line and electrical supply. The setup allowed cleaners to order supplies day or night, and the distributor didn't have to have an employee on hand to take the order.
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