Harold’s Cleaners has been a staple of Owensboro’s small business scene for generations, and Molly Tichenor is proud to carry on the family legacy.
Tichenor officially took over the business on Jan. 1 of this year, following the retirement of her father, Eddie Tichenor, who had owned and operated the dry-cleaning service since 1992. Before that, the business was owned by Harold and Betty Jones — Molly’s great uncle and aunt — who bought it in the 1950s after it had operated under the original name, Economy Cleaners, since at least the 1940s.
“Nowadays we just go by Harold’s Cleaners,” Molly said. “My dad added tuxedo rentals for a while, but I dropped that. We’re just back to focusing on what we do best.”
Molly has been around the business her whole life. She said the long-term success of Harold’s is due to the tight-knit, family atmosphere and dedication to customer service.
“I’m 32, and I’ve pretty much done this my whole life,” she said. “When you’ve got family, they really show up for one another. And even our employees turn into family — the people my dad hired while I was growing up felt like aunts and uncles to me.”
That sense of community has helped Harold’s weather ups and downs, including the financial strain of economic downturns and a full year of scaled-back operations during COVID-19.
“Dry cleaning is a borderline luxury service,” Molly said. “During tough times, it’s one of the first things people cut. In 2020, we closed one of our locations, and my dad did everything by himself for a year. He was still cleaning lab coats for doctors and finding ways to fill in the gaps.”
Today, business is thriving. Molly said demand has increased steadily in the post-pandemic era as people return to dressing up for work, events, and nights out.
“Younger guys are getting into nice polyester shirts and fancier clothes that look better when dry cleaned,” she said. “People want to look sharp, and they don’t always have the tools at home to get it done.”
Currently located at the corner of 22nd Street and Veach Road — “we back up to Gary’s Diner, and everybody knows Gary’s,” Molly said — Harold’s is also looking to expand. Tichenor is eyeing early 2026 to open a second location more tailored toward alterations.
“I was lucky enough to have my mom teach me to sew, and we have a professional seamstress as well,” she said. “Being able to offer more alterations at a storefront is something we see a need for.”
In the meantime, Harold’s offers next-day service and even same-day service for early-morning drop-offs. Turnaround has improved as the business has ramped up operations.
“We’re cleaning more days a week now than we were even three months ago,” Molly said.
She’s also proud that Harold’s uses a more environmentally friendly cleaning solution — a fortunate decision made years ago that allowed the business to avoid costly upgrades recently faced by other cleaners.
“Some places have had to shut down due to stricter environmental regulations,” she said. “We’ve been lucky that our solution is already considered greener.”
Though the recent closure of Swan Cleaners raised concerns about the future of the industry locally, Tichenor said dry cleaning is far from dead in Owensboro.
“There’s still a huge need. We’re busier now than we’ve been in years,” she said. “What’s really happening is that many of these family-run places don’t have someone willing to take over. It’s not something you can just buy and figure out later — you have to be in it, day in and day out.”
That’s the life Molly has always known, and one she’s proud to carry forward.
“None of this would be possible without my dad,” she said. “He’s not just a businessman — he’s part of this community. He still comes in every day. That’s what a small-town family business is.”
The business even retains loyal customers who span generations.
“One of our biggest customers, Becky and Marty Mitchell, are actually Harold’s daughter and son-in-law,” she said. “It’s amazing to see not just three generations running the place, but three generations of customers coming through the doors.”
Harold’s Cleaners also operates a pickup and drop-off site in Hartford at Soar Heads Gift Store, a partnership Molly said reflects her passion for supporting other local businesses.
“Being raised in a small business, you see the struggles and the importance of supporting one another,” she said.
As she leads the business into a new chapter, Molly said the foundation her father built — and the commitment to service he instilled — will remain at the heart of everything Harold’s does.
“We’re still here because of him,” she said. “And because we treat our customers like family.”
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 kjones@owensboro.com.
By: John Kirkpatrick The Owensboro Times
