At 1703 and a half Pine Street, there is a man who can not only sew the cleanest top stitch west of the Mediterranean, but he’ll solve the eternal question of what’s for dinner and even find your soul mate. Born in France, Arthur Yegyan moved to Long Island for a job at the electronics mogul, Grundig. He fortunately lived overseas long enough to develop quality culinary skills as well as the adored mannerisms we associate with Frenchmen.
His heart led him to Philadelphia where he met his current wife and took over the family business, a small electronics shop at 1703 Pine Street. Using knowledge he acquired at Grundig, Arthur turned the store into what is it today: a utopia of steamed fabrics. When asked about his success, he lowered his head and took a moment to reflect. “America is a dream country. It has given me two properties in Rittenhouse Square, a home in Swarthmore, a family, and house by the shore…I am the American dream.”
Dry cleaning is one of the largest industries in the United States, mostly comprised of “Mom-and-Pop shops.” Arthur and his son David have 12 hour work days and take pride with their attention to detail and superior customer service. The boiler and air compressor are in the basement leaving three floors for garments, which are ferried throughout the store in a mechanical labyrinth of pressers and steamers. “On an average day” Arthur boasts, “there are over 3,000 shirts in this store…and that’s just shirts! We also do in linens from the local hotels and restaurants.”
On a good day, you can witness Arthur and David (pictured above) go neck and neck in one of their quite humorous diatribes. Arthur does admit how fortunate he is to spend so much time with his son. Last October, Arthur’s health took a turn for the worse when two neighborhood police officers found him mid-heart attack, perched upon a chair in view from the door. “I am very lucky for that large building over there,” he pointed in the direction of the Graduate Hospital, one block away on 18th and Lombard Street. On the wall hangs a picture of Arthur and Governor Ed Rendell, a patron of the store. “He comes in a couple times a week” Arthur said with an enormous sense of pride. After I had my heart attack, he came to visit me in the hospital. I told him: “Ed, what are you doing here? I am about to get discharged and I need to go back to work, there is no time for this!” He just smiled and told me to get well soon.
Besides dry-cleaning, Arthur has also perfected to art of match-making. “I had two customers, both lawyers, both very good people. They were always complaining about not having enough time to go out at night and meet people. You know what I did?” he said with a smile. “I introduced them to one another. I was the best man in their wedding and they just had their second child.” He continued by saying: “For my second project, I had two people in a very similar situation. One day, I picked both of them up in my car and I bought them lunch. They are still dating and I’m pretty sure they too will be married.” Arthur is currently working on his third match: “a guitar player, with a smart dog, and a pretty Russian girl.” He is truly an institution in Rittenhouse Square. Rittenhouse Cleaners is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am – 7:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. The phone number is 215-545-0294 and it is located at 1703 1/2 Pine Street.