Brewer business celebrates 120 years of service

BREWER, Maine (WABI) - A business in Brewer celebrated 120 years of service Friday.

Gold Star Cleaners on Wilson Street marked their milestone birthday with a community barbecue.

The business provided free hotdogs, birthday cake, and goodie bags to community members as a thank you for their support.

The gathering featured a live broadcast by Q106.5, who also held a raffle for free Shania Twain tickets.

Brewer city officials also attended to offer congratulations to the Gold Star Team on their milestone.

Eric Pooler, president of Gold Star Cleaners, is a fourth-generation owner. He reflected on the company’s evolution since its founding in 1905.

“Yeah, we survived World War I, The Great Depression, yeah. When you put it in context like that, you realize how old it really is. Oh, it’s constant change. You know, prior to 1972, all we were was a dry cleaner. And today, you know, dry cleaning represents 29% of our business. So the diversifications in tanning and the coin laundries, wash dry fold. That’s a huge thing right now. It’s like 22% of our income. Change is paramount. You have to in order to stay in business and we’ve continued to do so over the years,” said Pooler.

Pooler tells us he plans to sell the business in the next couple of years but hopes it stays a fixture in the community.

For years now, we’ve also shared stories about how Gold Star helps give back to the community by partnering with Penquis for their ‘Coats for Kindness’ program.