Battiston's of Avon Brings Fabric Care Expertise to Greater Hartford Area

New to the West Hartford and Hartford areas, Battiston's of Avon Inc. family-owned services span more than six decades. The fabric care specialists, whose layered expertise ranges from dry cleaning to tailoring, employ a singular manifesto: "We get the job done the right way, right away."

Patch: Tell us about the Battiston’s beginnings. How was the business founded?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: In 1948, Lino Battiston opened up his first location in West Hartford on New Park Ave. For the previous 10 years, he worked at New England Laundry while becoming a master dry cleaning technician, a fabric expert and an expert steam fitter and plumber.

Patch: Tell us about Battiston’s home delivery service.

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: As the pace of life keeps getting faster, we save you time and money by providing convenient service in the simplest way possible. In 1995, we started Drycleaner On Call, a free home and office pickup and delivery service that offers our customers a great opportunity to save time and money. This is a totally free service. You'll pay the same low price for anything you have cleaned via pickup and delivery as you'd pay in-store, and all of our services are available: dry cleaning, shirts, household items, rugs and more. Our regularly scheduled service is available Monday to Thursday and Tuesday to Friday. For example, if we pick up clothes from you on Monday, they will be returned to you on Thursday.

Patch: What materials fall under Battiston’s dry-cleaning services?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: We can clean virtually any material. We have cleaned or restored everything from copper tea pots to vintage theatrical costumes, heirloom wedding gowns and all types of draperies and window treatments.

Patch: What distinguishes Battiston’s from area competition?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: Our owner, Michael Maulucci, started working for Lino Battiston at the age of 15 and continued while attending Conard High School and then worked summers during college. After college, he began managing the Avon location. In 1980, Michael purchased our two Farmington Valley locations from Lino. Throughout those years, Mr. Battiston shared his expertise, technical and otherwise with Michael as well as his dedication to customer service that Michael has since instilled in his two sons who are both involved full-time in the business.

Patch: How has the laundry care industry transformed over the years? How does Battiston’s stay ahead of new developments within the field?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: In the 70s, the industry saw a change from natural fibers to synthetic fibers. This introduction of synthetic fibers affected the dry cleaning industry until the 80s, when manufacturers chose to revert to natural fibers like wool, silk and linen, which caused a resurgence in the industry. People now tend to wear more casual clothes instead of suits and dresses, even in the workplace. To stay up with new developments in the field, we attend regional and national conferences to stay updated about the latest in spot removal and other techniques to provide the finest level of garment care.

Patch: How does Battiston’s measure success?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: Our success is measured in great part by the high level of customer satisfaction that we enjoy. Every day, we work hard to ensure that we maintain relationships with our customers. Michael is available six days a week at our Avon location, and his son, Alex, is also responsible for a great deal of interaction with customers, not only in person, but also by phone. We have found that prompt and personal communication is the most effective way to protect the relationships that we have established.

Patch: Tell us about some of Battiston’s proudest moments.

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: Some of our proudest moments include seeing the look on customers' faces when we present them with a completed restoration of a wedding gown that is over 100 years old or when we earn a customer's long-term loyalty when we remove a stain from a treasured or expensive garment that our competitors were unable to accomplish.

Patch: Battiston's currently serves a number of communities throughout the Connecticut area. What is the draw to these locations?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: Battiston's of Avon currently serves Avon, Simsbury, West Simsbury, Tariffville, Canton, Granby, East Granby, West Granby, Southington, Plantsville, Cheshire, Bristol, Famington, Burlington, West Hartford, Hartford. We have our main plant in Avon on Route 44, where all the cleaning is done for all the towns that we service. Our other store is located in Simsbury at the Drake Hill Shoppes, adjacent to Fitzgerald's Foods on Hopmeadow Street.

Patch: What are the benefits of hiring a garment restoration service for one’s home?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: We are one of the leaders in Hartford County for area rug cleaning and drapery cleaning. Our Drapery Division services include cleaning of swags, jabots, valances and cornice boards as well as the installation or repair of drapery rods. We will come to your home or office to take down and rehang any of your window treatments and, in addition, pick up and deliver your area rugs, including orientals.

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about Battiston’s?

Battiston's of Avon Inc.: Patch readers can learn more about us and all the services that we offer by going to our website or calling us at (860) 678-1686 and asking for Michael or Alex. Please contact Alex about all the great incentives we have for joining our home delivery service for the West Hartford and Hartford territories.

Photo credit: Battison's of Avon (Alex Maulucci, left; Michael Maulucci, middle; Mathew Maulucci, right)