Mesa Cleaners owners locked out, again — owe more than $41k

A popular Austin dry cleaning company has closed its doors for the second time this summer — leaving its customers with no way to get their clothes back.  

Tony Smith is one of the many customers of Mesa Cleaners who has left a note on their locked door demanding his clothes back. “After an overseas business trip I brought in a suit, pants, shirts, things I obviously need cleaned and about a week later I came back I guess this would have been last Friday and doors were closed with some postings on the door,” Smith said.

Yep...it’s closed. Again. At least the Mesa Cleaners on Mesa Drive and the one at the Triangle.

Locked doors and overdue notices. No one answers the phone at the other Austin-area Mesa locations.

Read Mesa Cleaners opens back up after mysterious closure

When FOX 7 Austin reported on Mesa’s sudden closure in July, we drove up and owner Naushad Sultan was there making it right for his customers. Sultan insisted that the more than $18,000 in rent they owed was settled. “I took care of it today. Landlord agreed. l negoatiated it in the rent,” Sultan said.

But after talking with Sultan in July, property manager Scott Wilson told me Sultan still owed some money and would pay the rest in installments.

He said if they missed one he would have to lock them out again.

Coming back to present day, there’s a banner that says “new management.”

But Sultan is still listed as the Mesa Cleaners owner on the delinquent notice — now at more than $41,000. “It’s not only me, there’s a whole store full of clothes in there, people in the neighborhood that would like their property back,” Smith said.

Braxton Parsons says his suit and suit jacket have been trapped in the Triangle location since July 31.

“This was my first time going to Mesa Cleaners actually,” Parsons said.

Both Smith and Parsons are trying to plot their next move. “It’s super frustrating, I’m just at a loss of words of what to do next, it’s really a waiting game to try to figure who to talk to and how to talk to somebody,” Parsons said.

“I’ve got a business trip I’m leaving on Sunday for overseas again, I need my clothes,” Smith said.

Goodwin Management told me Thursday afternoon this go-around they can’t even get ahold of the Mesa Cleaners owners.  

The company says in a few days the property will be considered “abandoned.”

Then they’ll post notices about when customers can come get their dry cleaning.