How would you feel if your most favorite dry cleaning gals disappeared? Suddenly. Out of the blue. That’s what happened when I went to Carroll Cleaners all prepared to say hello to Claudia and was told that the business had been sold.

"Was it sudden?" I asked

"No," answered the nice young Korean man. "It’s been in the works for about a year."

I figure it was a condition of the sale that Claudia and Co. not mention the sale. I immediately called Diaper Diva and told her to sit down.

"I am sitting down," she said.

"Carroll Cleaners changed ownership."

"I’ve known that for two weeks," she said.

I saw RED. Why was she holding out on me? When I saw her next she told me what she knew.

Apparently Claudia was married to the son of the owner of the old Carroll Cleaners. His parents sold the business and she’s now working at a Lord and Taylor’s.

I loved Claudia and the other women at Carroll Cleaners. Walking in there was like being on the set of a Pedro Almodovar movie. The woman were beautiful. The Latin conversation spicy and fun.

Ultra stylish Claudia, with her multi-hued blonde, curly coiffed hair do, worked at the shop for 18  years. She always looked fashion forward, sexy and fun and she was just the warmest, best dry cleaning person I’ve ever known. She was also an ace at fitting clothing. You only had to watch her as she pinned someone’s pants or formal dress. She really cared.

I could tell that other people on line at Carroll Cleaners were a little shocked that they left so suddenly. Change is tough. Especially in Park Slope where we all get so attached to our stores and the people who run them.