SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Clothes hangers were once so plentiful at Mark's Cleaners, a laundromat just outside Sacramento Executive Airport, that owner JoAnn Baishiki gave them away to anyone who asked.
But she said those days are gone, at least for as long as the nationwide supply chain shortage continues hurting small businesses like hers.
"We order our hangers from outside the country, so those shipments are barely coming in," Baishiki told ABC10. "And when they do come in, some deliveries are double and triple the price — there's not enough supply to feed the demand."
While Baishiki said her business slowed down after shipments delays at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide lockdowns meant the manufacturing of hangers slowed down as well.
The widening gap between supply and demand became evident about four months ago, Baishiki said, when shipment dates grew fewer and farther between.
"Not having hangers has been our biggest problem through this whole supply chain build-up," she said. "People here can see it."
Over the usual chit-chat between Baishiki and her customers, they asked her how the dry cleaners was holding up.
She explained the clothes hanger shortage. That's when longtime customers along with occasional users began donating, or leaving hangers at the small business.
As supply shortages and shipment delays drag on, Baishiki said she is grateful for the support — and the customers who dug through closets in search of spare hangers.
"We have a lot of regulars here, parents of parents and they've always been great," she said. "It's great they're finding ways to help."
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