OUR STORY
ABOUT US
The year was 1952 and Joseph Ziccarelli, Sr. was ready to start a new life after his arrival home from World War II.
With his entrepreneurial spirit and a dream, Joe Sr. purchased the cleaning shop where he worked in Etna.
After many years of hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and success, Joe Sr. went on to open three additional locations.
Unfortunately, in 1988, he passed away and his wife, Annella, and their daughter, Linda, took over the business. After Annella retired in 1993, Joe Ziccarelli, Jr. who holds a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University, returned home to the Pittsburgh area and joined his sister to run the family business after serving as a signal officer in the United States Army.
Four years later, in 1997, Joe Jr.’s wife, Heather, was brought on as the Vice President of Marketing and since then has grown into the role of Owner and Managing Director. In fact, in 2018, she was awarded the Pittsburgh Business Times, Women of Influence Award.
Heather’s influence hasn’t stopped there. Over the last 22 years, she’s worked tirelessly to add new services to Owl Cleaners’ lineup such as our Wedding Gown Preservation Services that have elevated the bridal experience.
Under her direction, Owl Cleaners is the only Certified Wedding Gown Specialist and member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists (AWGS) in the Pittsburgh area.
That’s not all. Heather also proudly championed our White Glove Concierge Service known as Owl Premier.
This high-end garment care service takes our dry cleaning efforts to the next level as couture garments are treated with the highest level of professional care and hand-delivered in couture level packaging with weather-proof bags and cherry wood hangers.
Owl Premier is a service is held in high esteem among Pittsburgh’s elite.
GIVING BACK
Today and every day, Owl Cleaners is grateful for the opportunity to provide quality service to our customers in our community and as a sign of our gratitude we make it a point to give back.
Over the years we’ve worked with some amazing charitable organizations. Below are a few examples:
– St. Lucy’s Auxiliary for the Blind
In fact, we teamed up with St. Lucy’s Auxiliary for the Blind and collected formal gowns worn at the Auxiliary’s annual Medallion Ball. We cleaned and finished these very special gowns which are available to all Junior Medallion Candidates through St. Lucy’s annual Junior Medallion Gown Sale.
– Toys for Tots
For the past 21 years, we’ve proudly been one of the largest toy donors to the Marshall Township Borough Office. We couldn’t do it without our customers who consistently support this effort by providing toys for children in need during the holiday season.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
Since the day that Joe Sr. opened the first location, Owl Cleaners has been committed to customer satisfaction and our customers get the opportunity to work with Joe’s grandchildren, Joey, Brandon, and Elena who assist with customer service at our stores.
Owl Cleaners is known as the oldest family-owned dry cleaner in Pittsburgh and the legacy of Joe Sr. lives on as there are now six locations throughout the North Hills area.