View the Stafford County community page

JC Cleaners will close Oct. 31 PICKING UP?

Owner of JC Cleaners is closing the business and plans to sell

Date published: 10/23/2008

By PAMELA GOULD

Fifteen months after buying the former Kenmore Cleaners building in Fredericksburg, Lewis Chung is closing up shop.

Chung said his brief tenure in the community was unpleasant and marked by conflict with the owner of Kenmore Cleaners who had previously leased the space. Chung, a native of South Korea, also said he felt he had suffered "discrimination" while operating JC Cleaners, also known as Jesus Christ Cleaners.

"This area is very difficult," said Chung, who lives in Lorton and operates another dry-cleaning business in Fort Washington, Md.

The shop is scheduled to close Oct. 31.

In July 2007, Chung bought the building at 730 Kenmore Ave. that for decades had housed Kenmore Cleaners.

That month, the business was forced to close temporarily after an electrical fire started atop the roof.

Inspections of the business then found that Chung needed to add a ventilation system and get an occupancy permit, according to city building records and former Fire Marshal John Nunnally.

The business reopened in January after Chung made those repairs and additional renovations.

Chung suggested that city officials delayed the process, but Building and Development Services Director Stephen Smallwood said his staff worked as quickly as possible.

"We went way out of the way to try to help him get that place open because we knew it wasn't in his design to have that fire," Smallwood said yesterday.

He said one reason it took so long to reopen was that work done on the building didn't match what was planned and approved.

Smallwood was surprised to learn Chung was closing the business.

Chung's troubles weren't confined to the structure. In September, he was charged with knowingly disposing of hazardous waste related to dry-cleaning chemicals.

The felony charge was dropped after he paid $4,600 of the $14,000 government officials paid to analyze the chemicals.

Chung claimed yesterday that the chemicals were left behind by Kenmore Cleaners and that a construction worker placed them in the Dumpster.

Kenmore Cleaners owner Darren Dole denied using the chemical in question, perchloroethylene.

"We're a clean-earth cleaners. Ours is nontoxic and environmentally safe," Dole said.

Dole had attempted to buy the property in 2007 and said he remains interested if he could get it for the right price.

Chung paid $825,000; Dole said he would pay $500,000.

Jim Clark of Stafford County switched to JC Cleaners after becoming dissatisfied with a company in Spotsylvania County.

"I went there--me or my wife--every week," he said. "I've never been to a cleaners where they did such great work. Everything was done to a 'T.'"

He, like Fredericksburg resident Margaret Masterson, was disappointed to hear the business is closing in eight days.

"He does beautiful work," said Masterson, who appreciated having a cleaner within walking distance of her home.

Masterson said Chung had tears in his eyes when he told her the shop was closing.

"It was very sad," she said.

Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com

Customers of JC Cleaners have until Oct. 31 to pick up clothing, owner Lewis Chung said yesterday. The shop is open weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. until then. Chung said he has been trying to call customers who still have items inside the business to alert them to its closing.

Follow us on

Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 10/23/2008