Warwick Valley High School graduate returns home as successful entrepreneur

Warwick - Whatever happened to the Class of 1994 Homecoming Queen? Lindsey Weber, the daughter of Warwick residents Bruce and Jerri Weber, wore that crown during her senior year. Today, she and her partner Gwen Whiting, are the owners of a successful Manhattan-based firm, The Laundress. And the company distributes clothing care products that are sold in more than 600 retail outlets throughout the United States as well as internationally. They includes prestigious large city boutiques such as Neiman Marcus, Club Monaco and Gracious Home in New York City as well as town and village shops like Warwick’s B. Page & Co. on Railroad Avenue. After graduating from Warwick Valley High School in 1994, Weber went on to Cornell University where she earned a bachelor of science degree in apparel and textile management. That in turn landed her a job at Chanel Inc. in New York City where she worked in corporate sales for five years and became the senior fashion buyer for the ready-to-wear division. While at Cornell she also met Whiting. They both believed in the well-tested adage: “Find a need and fill it.” Weber and Whiting realized there was a void in the market for a product that would safely and economically allow people to launder their good clothing at home. The two returned to Cornell University and ran their idea by one of their former professors, Kay Obendorf, who enthusiastically spent a weekend giving them a specialized crash course in detergency. Weber and Whiting then spent two years doing more research and searching for the right manufacturer. And in March, 2004 they launched their new business, The Laundress. Their first retail outlet was the historic and world famous Manhattan fashion store, Bergdorf Goodman. With the partners doing most of the marketing legwork, their products were soon well received throughout the world. “Just because a label says, ‘dry clean only,’” said Weber, “doesn’t mean it can’t be cleaned better and more cost effectively at home.” She explained that her products produce safer and better results for a fraction of the cost of dry cleaning. Brooke Martis-Sarmiento, owner of Warwick’s B. Page & Co., agrees. “We carry clothing that women plan to keep for a long time,” she said. “After looking at an alternative to dry cleaning, I found a good match for our high quality merchandise. The Laundress products do not break down good material like cashmere and they protect the integrity of the garments.”