Gierse's Cleaning Works

410 Vine Street, Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Lost to History

Commercial

Gierse's Cleaning Works

410 Vine Street, Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Charles Gierse opened his cleaning and dyeing works at 410 Vine Street in April 1914, advertising with the slogan "The Name With the R." The firm stayed at this address for decades, surviving a 1918 fire and continuing under other management after Gierse sold it in 1945.

Did You Know?

Gierse's advertised itself as "The Name With the R" — the extra letter that separated the cleaner from Charles Giese, the merchant tailor at 208 South Main Street.

The Story

A cleaning works opens in 1914

Charles Gierse came to Poplar Bluff from Farmington, Missouri, where he had operated a tailoring establishment. In April 1914 he opened Gierse's Cleaning and Dyeing at 410 Vine Street, offering professional cleaning, dyeing and pressing for men's and women's clothing.

Early advertising emphasized modern cleaning machinery and sanitary methods, and invited customers to telephone for collection and delivery. The works cleaned suits, dresses, gloves and other articles that ordinary household washing could not treat.

"The Name With the R"

The firm's most memorable advertising feature was the slogan "The Name With the R," which appeared in notices in the spring of 1914, shortly after the business opened. At that same time Charles Giese, a merchant tailor who had been in Poplar Bluff since the 1880s, was operating a separate tailoring and cleaning business at 208 South Main Street. The similarity of the two names and the overlap in their services suggests the slogan may have helped customers distinguish the establishments, though no contemporary explanation of it has been found.

By May 1914 newspapers referred to Gierse Brothers and described improvements to the cleaning equipment; the ownership and partnership arrangements behind that name remain under investigation. Fred Gierse, a brother of Charles, is a possible but unconfirmed connection.

Fire and continuity

In May 1918 a fire damaged the business in the Frank Building on Vine Street. Reports described losses of about $1,100, partly covered by insurance. The establishment kept operating.

By 1926 the business held a prominent directory listing as "Gierse's Cleaning and Pressing," with telephone number 682, at 410 Vine Street. The same number appears in a 1929 advertisement in The Bluff, the Poplar Bluff High School yearbook, which read "WHEN THINGS LOOK BLACK PHONE 682."

The founder leaves, the name stays

Charles Gierse's obituary reports that he sold the cleaning establishment in 1945. Later directories continued to list Gierse's Cleaners at 410 Vine Street under different management, the 1945 directory naming C. T. Hope as manager. Gierse then worked in the cleaning and laundry industry until he retired in 1963. When Gierse's Cleaners finally closed has not been determined.

The present condition of the building at 410 Vine Street has not been verified.

Additional Source References

Mentions of this site found in historical sources. These excerpts are auto-extracted and unverified — presented for research purposes until an editor confirms them.

According to The Daily Republican, April 15, 1914, page 4 (1914)Verified

The opening-year advertisement for the cleaning works gives the Vine Street address and telephone 682, the same number still listed to the business in 1926 and in a 1929 yearbook advertisement.

“Gierse's / THE NAME WITH THE R. / 410 Vine St. Phone 682”

People Connected to This Site

Charles Gierse

Tailor; proprietor of a cleaning and dyeing establishment

Charles Gierse was a Missouri-born tailor and cleaning businessman whose career extended from the early twentieth century into the 1960s. Born in Farmington on November 17, 1883, he entered the clothing trade at a young age and was operating a tailoring establishment in his hometown by 1907. On May 15, 1907, Gierse married Louise M. Schwaner of Fredericktown, Missouri. Their marriage was announced in the May 24 edition of The Farmington Times, which described him as the head of the Gierse tailoring establishment and a prominent young businessman in Farmington. According to his obituary, Gierse relocated to Poplar Bluff on April 1, 1914, establishing a cleaning and dyeing business at 410 Vine Street. His establishment offered garment cleaning, pressing, and related services, including the collection and delivery of customers' clothing. Early advertisements emphasized modern equipment, sanitary cleaning methods, and convenient service. Some identified the business as Gierse Brothers, although the complete partnership structure remains to be established. One of the most distinctive features of Gierse's early advertising was the phrase "The Name With the R." The slogan appeared in April 1914, when another businessman, Charles Giese, was operating a tailoring and cleaning establishment at 208 South Main Street. The two men had nearly identical surnames and offered similar services. Although the origin of the slogan has not been conclusively documented, it may have helped customers distinguish the businesses. In May 1918, a fire damaged Gierse's cleaning and pressing establishment in the Frank Building on Vine Street. Contemporary newspaper coverage reported losses of approximately $1,100, partially covered by insurance. The business subsequently resumed operations. A lighter glimpse into his working life appeared in November 1919, when a newspaper featured the aquarium at his establishment. Gierse reportedly kept approximately fifty goldfish in a large tank, prompting a discussion of whether fish sleep. In February 1924, Gierse moved into a newly constructed residence on North Main Street. The home, reportedly costing approximately $10,000, was subsequently identified as 1118 North Main Street. The 1930 census confirms Charles, Louise, and their daughters living at that address. Gierse continued operating his Vine Street cleaning establishment for several decades. His obituary reports that he sold the business in 1945, subsequently working with other cleaning and laundry establishments before retiring in 1963. His later years were marked by gardening and community interests. A 1969 newspaper profile described his efforts to grow flowers and vegetables for residents of the nearby Lucy Lee Convalescent Home. Charles and Louise celebrated their sixty-sixth wedding anniversary in May 1973. Gierse died at Doctors Hospital in Poplar Bluff on August 5, 1974, at age ninety. His funeral was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with burial in Old Calvary Cemetery in Farmington.

Businesses Connected to This Site

Gierse's Cleaning and Dyeing

Active 1914–1945 under its founder; continued under later management (final closing date not established)

Gierse's Cleaning and Dyeing was a downtown Poplar Bluff garment-care establishment founded by Charles Gierse in April 1914. Gierse had previously operated a tailoring establishment in Farmington, Missouri, before relocating to Poplar Bluff. His new business at 410 Vine Street offered professional cleaning, dyeing, and pressing services for men's and women's clothing. Early newspaper advertisements emphasized modern cleaning machinery, sanitary methods, and careful treatment of delicate garments. Customers were invited to telephone the establishment for collection and delivery of clothing, reflecting the growing convenience of commercial garment-care services. The business promoted its ability to clean suits, dresses, gloves, and other articles requiring treatment beyond ordinary household washing. One of its most distinctive advertising features was the slogan "The Name With the R." The phrase appeared in advertisements during the spring of 1914, including notices published shortly after the business opened. At that time, Charles Giese, an established Poplar Bluff merchant tailor, operated a separate tailoring and cleaning establishment at 208 South Main Street. The similarity between the two businessmen's names, together with their overlapping services, suggests that Gierse's unusual slogan may have helped customers distinguish the establishments, though no contemporary explanation of the slogan has yet been identified. By May 1914, newspaper accounts referred to Gierse Brothers and described improvements to the establishment's cleaning equipment. The precise ownership and partnership arrangements associated with that name remain under investigation; Fred Gierse, a brother of Charles, is a possible but unconfirmed connection. In May 1918, a fire damaged Gierse's business in the Frank Building on Vine Street. Newspaper reports described losses of approximately $1,100, partially covered by insurance. The establishment nevertheless continued operating. The business was sufficiently established by 1926 to receive a prominent listing in the Poplar Bluff city directory under "Gierse's Cleaning and Pressing," with telephone number 682 and the address 410 Vine Street. The same telephone number appears in a 1929 advertisement in The Bluff, the Poplar Bluff High School yearbook, which read "WHEN THINGS LOOK BLACK PHONE 682." Gierse's obituary reports that he sold the cleaning establishment in 1945. Later directories continued to identify Gierse's Cleaners at 410 Vine Street under different management, the 1945 directory listing C. T. Hope as manager, indicating that the business name survived the founder's ownership. Charles Gierse subsequently worked in the cleaning and laundry industry until retiring in 1963. The final operating date of Gierse's Cleaners has not yet been determined. Historical significance: Gierse's Cleaning and Dyeing reflects the development of specialized commercial cleaning services in Poplar Bluff during the early twentieth century, illustrating the introduction of mechanical cleaning equipment, telephone-based customer service, garment collection and delivery, and the increasingly specialized care of modern clothing. The business is particularly memorable for its advertising slogan, "The Name With the R," which provides an intriguing connection to Charles Giese's separate tailoring establishment. Together, the two businesses show how similar names, overlapping trades, and distinctive advertising became part of everyday commercial life in downtown Poplar Bluff.