A Real Family Business

Areum Chai worked many hours in the corporate world. He still works long hours but this time, he works for himself as one of the owners of Omni Cleaners, a family-run dry cleaning business in the Oakhurst Center in suburban Aurora. His family had been in the dry-cleaning business for 20 years before opening the store in September of 2006. Omni Cleaners prides itself on its customer service and its competitive pricing. They have been able to accommodate customers with urgent, last minute dry cleaning needs and deliver completed orders in their immediate service area. As is common in this business, advertising is purely via word-of-mouth and foot traffic and it is this type of customer service that has enabled Omni Cleaners to increase their client base. With this rapid growth, Mr. Chai needed access to capital. He went to several banks before one banker referred him to ACCION Chicago.

 

ACCION Chicago provided a loan that enabled him to meet payroll and general business expenses.  Since receiving the loan, he has seen Omni’s revenues increase by 10%. Today, Omni Cleaners has served over a thousand customers - many happy repeat customers - and employs four full-time workers. “The loan process with ACCION was a very easy process,” according to Mr. Chai. “If I have to go to ACCION again, I would.” While the hours in running your own business are still long, Mr. Chai loves that there is a lot of freedom and flexibility in being a business owner.

 

Omni Cleaners is located at  444 N Eola Rd at the Oakhurst Center in Aurora and is open Monday through Friday from 6 am to 7 pm, Saturdays from 7 am to 6 pm and closed on Sundays.

 

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