Our History
Family Owned & Operated Since 1929
Falvey Linen was founded in 1929 by Timothy J. Falvey from Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland and Mary Farrell Falvey from Arkright, RI. They worked in the basement of their home taking in private family laundry. Some of the work was hand finished, but much was “wet wash” and “rough dry” work to be finished in the customer’s home. Their two sons, Robert E. Falvey and James F. Falvey, Bob and Jim, or “the Falvey Boys” (which they were referred to well into their seventies) helped out while they were in school. They picked up the laundry late in the day, washed it in the evening and returned it early the following day so the housewives would be able to dry it on the clothes line. The cost of this service, in the beginning years, would be sixty cents for a family’s laundry. Their young sister Marie and her best friend, Nancy Kernan, helped out after school. Nancy was Jim O’Hara’s (the future president’s) aunt
In 1932 Tim purchased the old Jackson Mill in Fiskeville, RI from the B. B. & R. Knight Company for $5000. This mill was three stories high and generated its own power from the north branch of the Pawtuxet River. There were water wheels and a series of belts and pulleys that ran machinery with waterpower. Sadly, in March of 1936, the old mill burned down to the basement level due to an electrical fire. The mill was rebuilt and operational in a relatively short amount of time.
When Bob and Jim returned from serving in the Army in WWII, they could see that general laundry service was declining because more people had home washing machines, or access to a laundromat. It was then that the family decided to specialize in a linen rental service for the hospitality and medical professions. In those days all the linen was white. Today there are over twenty-five different colored napkins as well as numerous size and colored tablecloths.
Tim passed away in 1955 and Mary in 1966. Their beloved daughter Marie Falvey Bloomer worked while she was able, but unfortunately passed away at an early age in 1969. Bob and Jim continued to expand the business. What started with a half dozen employees and two routes grew to fifty employees and five routes. In 1975 Bob and Jim made a decision not to retire, but to expand further. That is when Jim Falvey’s daughter, Patty’s husband, Jim O’Hara, joined the business. By 1985 there were eighty employees, twelve routes and Falvey Linen Supply had expanded into Massachusetts and Connecticut. This was accomplished in part by purchasing several other established companies. In the mid eighties they acquired another industrial laundry in Pawtucket, RI. For the next seven years they operated the two facilities, which gave them even greater capacity.
In 1992 Bob and Jim purchased the present building in Cranston and sold the other two properties. The consolidation into the larger space and technological innovations allowed Falvey Linen Supply to begin an aggressive expansion of their service area. The 1993 purchase of two laundries in southeastern Connecticut made it possible to open a Connecticut Customer Service Center which started with two routes.
As the business flourished in the late nineties, unfortunately, Bob and Jim Falvey’s health began to decline. Jim passed away in December 1999 and in June 2000 Bob sold his interest in the company to his niece Patty and her husband, Jim O’Hara. Jim had the advantage of twenty-five years of tutelage.
The summer of 2010 proved to be very productive. In June Falvey Linen Supply added a Customer Service Center in Walpole, MA. This has given the company the opportunity to further expand the service area. In July they welcomed the fourth generation into the business. Kaitlin O’Hara returned home after working eight years in Washington, DC and getting her MBA in London
Falvey Linen purchased a building in Springfield, MA in 2015 that would become its second production facility. Because it was such a huge undertaking, laundry processing did not start until the end of 2016. In the summer of 2018, Falvey Linen Supply opened a depot in Milford, Connecticut. 2020 was a very difficult year for the industry due the government restrictions on the hospitality industry. In a very short period customer demand fell by 86%. Falvey Linen Supply was forced to make several adjustments and tightly manage expenses while still servicing operating customers. Over the next two years, Falvey Linen Supply worked with their surviving customer base to manage sometimes unpredictable demand. On February 18, 2023, Falvey Linen Supply lost their matriarch, Patritia Falvey O’Hara; however, her legacy lives on with all of us
Falvey Linen Supply celebrates their ninety-fifth year servicing the New England area with more than fifty routes, in excess of 350 full time employees and a customer base of almost 6,000 that rent not only tablecloths and napkins, but towels, aprons, multi-designed uniforms, bathroom services and walk-off logo mats
Although the business has vastly changed throughout the years, the cornerstone has remained the same. SERVICE was important in the 1930s and it is vital today. A call to 800-338-4334 may put you in contact with a member of the family, but even if it reaches someone not related, the customer needs are the #1 priority.
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Contact us using the form below, or give us a call today at (800) 338-4334 to speak with one of our specialists.