Of those 730 customers, only 29 objected. Mr. Lafer, meanwhile, said he got double that number of phone calls of praise, which he found refreshing. “You usually only hear from people when they have a complaint,” he said.
In the months since, he’s decreased his plastic consumption by 69,020 bags, or more than 35 percent.
“Imagine if you multiply that by all the cleaners in the nation,” he said.
Mr. Siegel and Ms. Nigrosh are aware that as newcomers to the industry, they have much to learn. “We know we could be seen as Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood,” Ms. Nigrosh said, explaining why she spends so much time talking to established dry cleaners. “They’ve taught us a lot.”
But in this eco-image-conscious town, where the Prius is the car of choice for many an A-lister, they’d also be crazy not to reach out to entertainment industry players they know. Mr. Siegel spent 19 years as a manager, helping to develop the careers of talk show host Craig Ferguson, among others; Ms. Nigrosh has worked for Warner Brothers Records.
Recently, the couple got word that the Green Garmento may have landed its first product placement. Unless the scene is cut, it will be seen on a bus bench in a future episode of the Showtime series “Weeds.”
Talk about green.
Ms. Amy Wallace,
For the first time, I’ve come across your Prototype column in the NY Times. It is well-written and one that piques my interest. You write in an inquisitive, friendly but well-seasoned style. Yours is an innate talent which I’ve just discovered is enhanced by a considerable background.
But on to the subject at hand. I never would have known that you’ve written several other columns under the Prototype header before today; they are too hidden. It was only by happenstance that I came across it.
I consider myself well-acquainted with computers and websites. They are part and parcel of my life. But I think a disservice is being done to you if your column is not visible, either through a better defined URL path or as a defined sub-category below the section head.
Where would one search for it (outside of using the Search form)? Most certainly not Global, Dealbook, Markets, Economy, Energy, Media, Personal Tech, or Your Money. Perhaps Small Business? Certainly not to be mistaken for ‘Prototypes’ under the First Look blog (though that does add to the confusion). I would love to have a clue.
I love serendipity as I also love the voyage of re-discovery. But one should not have to dig so deep, as I’ve done on some archeological digs, to discover good works. Ten sub-categories are listed under the main Business Day section – only nine (minus Technology) if you venture into any of them. There is not even a notation under ‘Most Popular’ for your previous columns. How would one know that you wrote previous entries to this column except for a brief mention in the first sentence of your latest column – Whose Idea Was the Dry-Cleaning Bag Anyway? – where you start out stating “Last month’s Prototype column…began…”?
Please feel free to share this with your section editor or to illuminate me on something I may be missing.
On a side note: check the April 2010 column on your website – Prototype: Creme De La Cell: Six-Figure Phones. It has lost its formatting and much of the content at least viewing through Firefox. One item of difference between that column and similar ones is where you declare
just after your byline and before the main content. It doesn’t show up on the others.
Regards,
Bradley Apling
It appears a piece of code didn’t get included in posting the previous email.
Between “One item of difference between that column and similar ones is where you declare” and “just after your byline and before the main content.” should be