The Press Shop owner Karen Jordan worked as part of a team numbering half a dozen to process more than 80,000 unique items yearly, including delicate garments and clothing alterations. Photo via City of Porterville

The City of Porterville announced Wednesday that after 41 years of business, The Press Shop earned the city’s Legacy Business Honors following its closure earlier this year.

The local dry-cleaning business located at 12 W. Olive Ave. served more than 4,000 customers annually, with pressing, steaming, laundry, alteration and drapery services, and even leather care. Working with fewer than ten employees, The Press Shop processed more than 80,000 items totaling 19,000 pounds of laundry per year.

The store’s former owner, Karen Jordan, began working in the dry-cleaning business as a teenager. In 1982, the store’s then owner Charles Spencer sold the business to Jordan after only two months of employment.

Karen and her husband, LeRoy, purchased The Press Shop and quickly turned it into a family business, with Karen’s daughters and grandchildren helping out throughout the years.

 

“I’ve been through a lot of ages in this town,” Karen said, recalling her time in Porterville since the 1970s. “I liked where we were, right in the thick of Main Street’s small-town charm.”

Following the death of LeRoy in 2019, Karen continued to run the store with her employees until the store’s closure early this year. Karen says after decades of operating The Press Shop full-time, she plans to travel.

The City of Porterville Legacy Business Recognition Program aims to celebrate local businesses that have recently closed their doors following long-term success in the city.