Carrying on a

M

ultiple generations of 
families have been taking 
their dry-cleaning to the 
two Birmingham locations of the 
family-owned Douglas Cleaners 
& Laundry for its heimish atmo-
sphere, quality work and exemplary 
service. 
On June 1 
of this year, 
customers now have 
seen two new 
friendly faces behind the counter: 
Amy and Andre Douville.
 
The 
Douvilles, well known in 
the Jewish community for orga-
nizing the annual Walk for Israel 
(May 3, 2020, at 
Adat 
Shalom 
Synagogue, 
where they are also 
members), bought the business 
from the third generation of the 
family that originally opened 
it in 
1949. 
“Andre and I always wanted to 
do something together. 
We began 
looking at opportunities, but didn’
t 
find anything we liked, until we 
heard Douglas Cleaners was quietly 
for sale. 
 
For Amy, it was like coming 
full circle. Her great-grandfather 
Sigmund Berg owned Grand 
Bell Cleaners and Rite-On-
Time dry-cleaners, which had 
27 locations in the Detroit area, 

originating 
in the 1950s. 
Her 
great-uncle 
Sidney Berg 
and grand-
father Burton 
Selik 
worked in the 
business until it was 
sold in the late 
1970s. Amy has vivid memories 
of the cleaners and knew her PaPa 
Burt and Uncle Sidney would be 
so proud. 
After months of due diligence, 
the 
Douvilles bought 
Douglas 
Cleaners, keeping all the employees 
on staff. 
“We came here the day 
before we took over to meet every-
one and introduce ourselves. They 
were so welcoming and excited to 
take this new journey with us,” 
Amy said. 
Those employees are what make 
Douglas Cleaners great, according 
to Andre. 
“People come because 
of the quality service. They expect 
perfection and our employees 
deliver. We pride ourselves on our 
expert spot removal and we truly 
have the brightest whites. We 
treat 
customers like members of our own 
family. We are so very fortunate to 
have such dedicated and commit-
ted employees.” 
 
Douglas Cleaners also offers 
pick-up and delivery service, as 
well as take-down, cleaning and 

reinstalling draperies. Additional 
services offered are rug cleaning 
and leather/suede cleaning and 
repair. Clothing dropped off by 
10 
a.m. 
are ready for pick up the same 
day. Later drop-offs are available 
the next day. Douglas Cleaners 
specializes in cleaning household 
items. It also provides press-only for 
items customers choose to wash at 
home but who still want that fresh-
pressed look and feel. 
Douglas Cleaners offers on-site 
alterations with a very quick 
turnaround, usually one day. The 
Douvilles 
were 
delighted to learn 
that two of their employees had 
been master seamstresses in their 
native Albania. 
“Their work is 
exquisite,” 
Amy says. “They have 
the ability to repair holes onsite in 
garments that would need to be 
sent out by most places.”
 
Andre also 
boasts 
about their 
customers. 
“We have had people 
coming here for generations. 
Just 
recently, I asked one of our regular 
customers 
when he first started 
coming to Douglas Cleaners. He 
gave 
it some thought and said 
1964. 
They talk about when their 
parents used to come in and how 
they sat on the counter when they 
were little kids.”
Amy said she and Andre love 
working together at both locations. 
And they’
ve brought the rest of the 
family into the business as well. 
Son Zachary, 20, is the delivery 
driver while he attends college and 
daughter Emily, 20 as of Nov. 28, 
who just graduated with a degree 
in graphic design, created the com-
pany logo and other media pieces. 
She really enjoys helping customers 

as well. Son 
Jacob, 18, a student 
at Oakland University, is focused 
on school, but helps out when he 
can, and daughter Elin, 8, comes 
in some days after school and on 
Saturdays. She loves answering the 
phones and helping customers. 
“The customers love her,” Andre 
said. “They are so patient while she 
works the computer and they enjoy 
her bubbly personality.” 
Amy’
s mom, 
Suretta 
Must, 
helps 
out, too. She calls customers and 
they always come in and ask to 
meet the “lovely woman who called 
me,” Amy said. 
“My 
step-dad, Alan Must, 
is 
our biggest marketer. Wherever he 
goes, he will ask who they use for 
dry cleaning and tell them they 
must change to get the very best at 
Douglas,” 
she said. “He’
s been very 
successful, too!”
 
This has been a dream come 
true for Amy and Andre. The love 
and support from their family and 
friends as well as the excitement 
and kindness of the staff and 
customers has made each day full 
of happiness and appreciation. 
“We knew this day would come,” 
Andre said. “Our greatest joy is 
when a new customer says,” I heard 
there were new owners and they 
were so friendly I just had to bring 
my cleaning here.”

LEFT: Owners Andre and Amy Douville in front of their Woodward store. RIGHT: Lynette Trombley of Warren and Lavdia Sina of Troy retrieve garments for customers. 

Douglas Cleaners
900 N. Old Woodward 
M-F: 7-7 Saturday: 9-3
(248) 642-6230

1794 West Maple Road 
M-F: 7-6 Saturday: 9-3
(248) 644-2400

SPONSORED BY DOUGLAS CLEANERS & LAUNDRY

Tradition

New owners of Douglas Cleaners build 
upon more than 70 years of service. 

JERRY ZOLYNSKY