For a business that demonstrates the long-standing tradition of service and commitment to local residents
2022 Awardee: J. Scheer & Co.
Jonathan Scheer, CEO accepting
J. Scheer & Co., couture cleaning & preservation, specializes in the cleaning, conservation, and long-term preservation of wedding gowns, exhibition couture, and historic costume and textiles. The company draws from museum based protocols to repair, clean, and prepare garment collections for long term storage.
CEO Jonathan Scheer has studied conservation science and care of museum collections at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory, the Art Institute of Chicago, and The Campbell Center for Historic Preservation. He is a graduate of Union College where he was earned a B.A. in history. Quoted in the New York Times, Scheer said, explaining the importance and potential of his work, “Seeing your mother’s wedding gown years later promotes family history. It encourages discussions between generations about time, place and cultural and religious customs.”
J. Scheer & Co. serves as conservation cleaning consultant to the Tapestry Conservation Laboratory at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, and is recommended by couture bridal salons nationally, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier in New York, Stanley Korshak in Dallas, Carrine’s Bridal Atelier in Washington, D.C., Carolina Herrera in New York and Beverly Hills and Marina Morrison in San Francisco. J. Scheer & Co. is the recommended preservationist for renowned designers Oscar de le Renta, Amsale, Anne Barge, Carolina Herrera, Christos, Elizabeth Fillmore, Peter Langner, Monique Lhuillier, Kenneth Pool, Reem Acra, Angel Sanchez, Jenny Packham, Claire Pettibone, and Junko Yoshioka.Jonathan Scheer, CEO, J. Scheer & Co.
Among the photographs in DCHS Collections are early 1930s photos of Poughkeepsie’s first dry cleaning business, donated by Jessica Rodd, a descendant of the Gold family of Poughkeepsie. The origins of the business date back to 1910 when Rebecca Cipnic established the New York Steam Cleaning business at 6 Liberty Street. By 1915 the business had been sold to Rebecca’s brother Samuel Gold and her brother-in-law Harry Gilman, who renamed the company the New York Steam Cleaning and Dye Works. Circa 1916, Sam Gold bought out his partner.
By 1925 the business, then known as United Cleaners and Dyers, had Moe Scheer and Alexander Stall as partners. By the 1930s, the business had dozens of stores in the Hudson Valley stretching from Mamaroneck to Albany, employing over 300 workers as tailors, spotters, finishers and dyers. Moe Scheer’s son, Hamilton and wife Barbara, were deeply involved in running the business. It is the current generation, after many, that transformed the business into a business of historic preservation.
Congratulations to Jonathan Scheer of J. Scheer & Co., and the generations that preceded him!
Prior Winners:
Adams Fairacre Farms ~ Central Hudson ~ Children’s Home ~ EFCO ~ Marshall & Sterling ~ McCabe & Mack LLP ~ N&S Supply ~ Page Park Associates ~ Poughkeepsie Journal ~ Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery ~ Rhinebeck Bank ~ Saint Francis Hospital ~ N&S Supply ~ Vassar Brothers Medical Center ~ Vassar-Warner Senior Residence~ Zimmer Brothers
Photos from DCHS Collections
Photos are a gift of Jessica Rodd. The donor’s uncle, Burt Gold, was interviewed at the time of the gift to DCHS and provided much of historical information regarding the photographs. Today, the business is still owned and operated by a descendant of partner Moe Scheer, evolving into a rare and highly specialized business. Moe Scheer’s grandson, Jonathan Scheer (the son of Hamilton Scheer, who was also deeply involved in running the business, and Barbara Scheer) is President and CEO of J. Scheer & Co., a firm specializing in the conservation cleaning and preservation of wedding gowns, exhibition couture, and historic textiles. He has studied conservation science and care of museum collections at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory and the Art Institute of Chicago, among other such institutions.