Patel: PressBox chose Chicago over SF for local real estate ties
Vijen Patel · Pressbox and Tide Cleaners: Vijen Patel. The $1.99 Gamble That Built a National Brand · Oct 6, 2025 · at 16:09
Vijen Patel, co-founder of PressBox (later acquired by Procter & Gamble as Tide Cleaners), explains why he moved from San Francisco to Chicago to launch the dry-cleaning locker startup.
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“Ultimately we had advantages there. Drew is from Chicago, I am as well. We had some relationships with real estate owners Drew specifically did that would help us get some early wins, but this was a hard business. And as we thought about who to hire, who we could surround ourselves with, we had a tribe. We had a community in Chicago that we didn't have in San Francisco.”
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“But what we realized is that if we could get some 24 seven access or depot, you can get rid of rent and labor on site. And that all of a sudden allows you to operate at 40% margins.”
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“Our view was that if we just capture three percent market share, we're gonna be millionaires. And so we didn't view this as a winner-take-all market.”
P&G Pursued Laundry Services Because Tide Reached 52% Market Share Cap
“They're at 52% market share of Tide, and they can't push that much further. And so they've always organically had this journey where if they can't provide the goods for laundry, can they just do your laundry?”
All But One Property Partner Refused P&G's Bounties to Drop PressBox
“And ultimately, all of our partners except for one said no thanks.”