Shadyside laundry keeps movie garb stain-free

The fake blood packet could have caused a major stain.

But Jerry Montesano found it before it exploded.

“Red splotches would have been everywhere,” says Montesano, 47, of Shadyside.

His businesses — The Laundry Factory and Shadyside Valet cleaners — have taken care of apparel from most movies filmed in the area, as well for a number of entertainers coming through town.

Montesano starts the process with checking pockets. Getting something clean is more than his business; it's his passion.

“Jerry is awesome,” says Jennifer Marks, wardrobe stock supervisor for Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University. “You feel comfortable doing business with him. He is always positive. When you give him a garment, you know he will take care of it — even when you tell him you need it by tomorrow — and you don't have to worry about it. ... He catches everything. If that blood pack had burst, that could have been bad. It would have exploded everywhere.”

His attention to that kind of detail is why business is booming, say those who work with him.

“Jerry is a pleasure to work with,” says Peter Gordon, Montesano's landlord for both locations. “He is obviously a hard worker and he is funny. I can only say good things about him. Every time I see him, he is smiling. ...

“There are lots of dry cleaners and laundromats,” Gordon says, “but he flourishes because of his work ethic and his personality.”

Positive word of Montesano's businesses has gotten around, says Diane Collins, a freelance costume designer and costume supervisor, who has worked in film and television for 25 years. She has sought out Montesano for many shows and movies since 2004, including “The Dark Knight Rises.”

“Jerry is honest, which is key,” Collins says. “When he promises something, he does it.”

Montesano has handled laundry and dry cleaning for movies such as “Jack Reacher,” “Concussion,” “The Last Witch Hunter,” “Love and Other Drugs,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and, more recently, “The Coopers” (originally called “Let It Snow”).

For “Jack Reacher,” Montesano worked on Thanksgiving, because they needed clothing early the next morning.

“In the movie business, times are not normal — they want things delivered at 4:16 a.m. or 1:11 in the afternoon, and you can't be late or early,” Montesano says. “They are so regimented. Sometimes, they want things in the middle of the night. When we had to work Thanksgiving, I ordered a few pizzas and we got it done.”

He was hired to clean 50 Santa Claus costumes for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He's handled garments for touring musicians, including Bret Michaels, Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Chesney, Maroon 5 and Willie Nelson. He plans to handle the cleaning and laundry for Taylor Swift's July Heinz Field show and for the Rolling Stones, who have been rumored to be coming this summer.

Montesano has been in this business his entire life, which began by watching his father, who owned a dry-cleaning company.

Costume work includes all of the tuxedos for Trans Siberian Orchestra and items for Sarah Jessica Parker, who was working on a show at Carnegie Mellon, and items for traveling Broadway productions.

He was hired to clean the bras that hung from the Hot Metal Bridge on the South Side for breast-cancer awareness and cleaned the pieces that adorned the Knit the Bridge project so they could be donated.

Montesano does everything from loading one of the 70 machines at the Laundromat to delivering dry cleaning and laundry. He makes 360 deliveries and pickups every week.

“I prefer doing laundry to cooking or cleaning,” says Montesano, who opened The Laundry Factory in 2000 and has remodeled and expanded it three times. The Shadyside Valet opened in 1989. On weekends, more than 400 people come through the door to do their own laundry.

“I think we've been successful, because I am always updating and retooling equipment and I have the best employees,” Montesano says. “People contact us because they know we can handle it. It makes for some crazy days, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am crazy all day, every day.”

The laundry business is job security, he says, because people need clean clothes every day.

Montesano's laundromat doesn't only look good, it is energy-efficient, says Sonny Rogalla, owner of Pittsburgh Laundry Systems, based in Swissvale, a commercial laundry distributor.

“He keeps everything clean and in working order, and he has plenty of options when it comes to the number and sizes of machines,” Rogalla says. “He makes sure his equipment doesn't break down, and he has attendants in the store. A lot of laundromats aren't manned. It's like going to LeMont versus McDonald's.”

Amy Baron Brourman, a local stylist for Samuel Baron Clothiers, says Montesano is fantastic. He takes care of her personal clothes and those for her clients — custom-made suits and shirts.

“I totally love him,” Brourman says. “He is a good person and he has amazing character. He takes care of whatever cleaning I need down to sewing on a missing button. I totally trust him. The people who work for him respect him.”

Debbie Kiel, manager at the Shadyside Valet, agrees.

“He is amazing because he remembers everything,” Kiel says. “His work ethic and organization are contagious, and you eventually get like him.”

Montesano is “an awesome boss,” says Mindy Pollock at Shadyside Valet.

“He makes you want to work harder, because he always works hard,” Pollock says. “He starts early and finishes late. He also has a sense of humor which we all appreciate. We don't mind working extra because we all get along.”

His positive attitude makes it easy to work for him, agrees Laurie Padrick, who works in The Laundry Factory.

“It's like a big family,” she says. “Jerry is like my brother. He is a perfectionist. If he comes in and sees handprints on the dryer, he cleans them off because being clean is in Jerry's blood.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at jharrop@tribweb.com or 412-320-7889.