East Naples dry cleaner holding customers clothes hostage after closing suddenly

NAPLES, Fla.– Hundreds of customers of an East Naples dry cleaners are being hung out to dry after the business appeared to close up shop and take everyone’s clothes with them.

Randy Jones says he’s been coming to the “Eco Cleaners” on Collier Boulevard in the Stock Plaza for three years. When he arrived to get his clothes on Friday, he noticed the doors were locked and the clothing racks were bare.

“It’s a whole lot of nothing. It’s racks! It’s just empty racks!” Jones said. “It looks like they came in, grabbed stuff in the middle of the night and ran.” 

Employees of neighboring businesses say they haven’t seen anyone working at the store since May 10th.

Estella Rodriguez works in the same plaza and she said her co-workers saw something suspicious last week. 

“Someone grabbed racks of clothes and put them in a van and just drove off with it,” Rodriguez said.

Estella said frustrated customers have been coming to their store, asking where their clothes are since then.

“When they come in for their appointments here they’re asking if they’re open, when they’re going to open and we have to tell them we don’t know,” said Rodriguez.

“They have a lot of expensive clothes that they own and it’s lost now.” 

The store owners didn’t post a sign on their door but angry customers did.

A typed sign had been taped to the front and back door – “We have stopped here several times and called with no answer to pick up the clothes, it appears you have closed the store.”

The leasing office at the Stock Plaza said the dry cleaner will not be reopening but she said customers could expect a sign on the door in the near future telling them when and where to pick up their clothes.

Jones isn’t buying that lip service.

“They said there will be a sign forthcoming telling us when we can get our clothes. There should be a sign up there now!” Jones said. “What’s the secrecy? We’re at a dry cleaner!” 

Jones said he isn’t on this clothing crusade just for his Tommy Bahama shirts, he wants to help all the customers who’s close are also being held hostage.

“I’m not just fighting for me to get my clothes back, there are hundreds of people who deserve to have their property,” Jones said.

The post East Naples dry cleaner holding customers clothes hostage after closing suddenly appeared first on NBC2 News.

NBC2 (WBBH-TV)