Patriot Ledger Visits Quincy Appreciation Day

Patriot Ledger Stopped by for Our Quincy Appreciation Day

The day after the Dependable Cleaners shop on Quincy Avenue burned to the ground, employees gathered at the chain’s Dorchester location to figure out a plan. It didn’t matter that it was a Sunday.

They figured out a way to clean clothes at other Dependable locations, where they would be working temporarily.

A network specialist took a red-eye flight to restore the company’s computer servers.

“It was amazing,” said Dependable Cleaners president Christa Hagearty, whose grandfather founded the company. “I don’t think I could have imagined how much we were able to accomplish.”

The rallying by employees who had been in tears the day of the fire was a sign to Hagearty that her employees and community valued the company’s hub location as much as she did.

The building at 320 Quincy Ave. was dedicated to her grandfather, and family records and keepsakes were lost in the July 14 fire. On Tuesday, the company held a Quincy Appreciation Day in a temporary trailer next to the rubble of the building.

Cupcakes and candy were served, and balloons bobbed in the breeze outside. Regular customers Brenda and Vincent Villard, who live nearby, paid a visit.

“We were heartbroken,” Brenda Villard said of the fire. “The neighbors were all accustomed to Dependable being here. We’re very happy that they’ll be coming back.”

The cause of the fire has yet to be officially determined. However, investigators suspect that the blaze started because of an equipment failure.

Insurance covered the cost of rebuilding on the site, and of replacing customers’ damaged clothing. Hagearty hopes the construction will be finished by July.