The Regulars
What Jenny taught me about showing up for the people around you.
When you move to a new place, you look for community. The small, familiar spots that make you feel grounded and slowly earn your trust. The coffee shop where they know your order. The cinema that feels more intimate than it should. The small grocery store you keep going back to. The place where you take your clothes when they need fixing.
That last one is how I met Jenny, the owner of Primo Cleaners.
It started practically, I needed dry cleaning and shorter hems (yes, I’m 5’1, yes, this is a recurring problem). Primo Cleaners was a few blocks away. Jenny was behind the counter. At first it was just that: the place I went when something needed fixing. But over time, some weeks seeing her more than once, it became my favorite place in the city. She’d joke that I needed to stop buying clothes that required so much tailoring. We both knew it was just an excuse.
All my friends and family who have visited Chicago know Jenny, and most have had something fixed at Primo at some point. Full disclosure: I’ve never tried another cleaner in the city. Still recommend it to everyone anyway, without hesitation, as the place to go. There was something about that place, and that something was her. What started with a quick hi from a distance and a few stitches turned into hugs, Christmas gifts, and good conversations.
The best moments were when Jenny would look at a piece and say, “This is so you.” For me, that was the ultimate validation. If Jenny, someone who sees and fixes people’s clothes all day, thought a piece was so very me, then I knew I was staying true to myself.
Then one afternoon she gave me the news. The building owners were expanding their restaurant next door. Primo Cleaners was closing. She was leaving with it. It was completely devastating.
I knew I had to ask Jenny all the questions I had never asked, and bring my camera with me to immortalize her in my memories, as my friend Isa would say.
The last time I went, she’d already started clearing the place, putting things into moving boxes. We were sad, but also happy. Happy that this wasn’t really a goodbye, just a different way of seeing each other.
Primo Cleaners on Film
Jenny, in her own words
Why did you get the store in the first place?
20 years ago, for living. I can handle that; communicate with people, hear them, clean clothes.
What do you like the most about fixing people’s clothes?
They look better. Fit them better.
What are you going to miss the most?
The nice people that came into the store. Helping them. I could listen to them, their questions. Touch their clothes, feel the fabric.
Do you think you can get to know people by what they bring you?
Yes, I can tell. What kind of style, what they want, how it fits them, how they look. You make it into a tiny piece of people’s wardrobe.
What won’t you miss?
Not the winter, it’s too cold. But summer is also hard. Too many electric bills. And winter is longer than summer.
Why did you call it Primo Cleaners?
I didn’t name it, I bought it that way. I think it means friends. Or maybe cousins.
What’s next?
Retiring. Travel. Going to Korea. Then, maybe a part-time job for Medicare until 65. Nothing related to clothes. Just take time. For 20 years I didn’t do much of what I wanted to do. I didn’t have time. Not even to go to the bank, people had to do it for me. Now I’ll have more free time. More time to relax. Time to think. Everything settles now. Maybe do some exercise. And then just getting old. That is about it.
Next time you go to your local grocery store, your lobby, your tailor, say hi. Start a conversation. Get to know them. You never know what might come from it.
I’ll let this horoscope from my Le Petit 3 newspaper subscription, from around the time I said goodbye to Jenny, do the rest of the talking.
Before leaving, Jenny gave me this small towel. It says “thank you” with a little heart. She had it embroidered by someone she works with.
Jenny, when you read this, know that I miss you. Thank you for all the memories, and for teaching me that being curious about people is its own way of moving through the world. And if you’re wondering, I’ve started learning how to fix those small holes myself, through reels and TikTok videos. Not perfect, but getting better.
And if anyone reading this knows a good method, something like a kintsugi for clothes, send it my way.
Until the next detour.
Such beautiful photos 🥹 ame todo!!!