Fuming customers were left high and dry outside a West Miami-Dade dry cleaning business after it shuttered its doors unexpectedly—clothes held hostage inside. Scores of patrons gathered at Majestic Cleaners, located at 12600 SW 8 St., on Friday, reacting to a text spill that announced a last chance to reclaim their belongings before the eviction of the proprietors took effect. Yet, as stated by customer Abraham Alvarez to Local 10 News, "I received texts to come and pick up your clothes because they’re evicting the owners. And we showed up and the place was closed."

The clothes retrieval window, promised via text until 4 p.m. Friday, left Iris Rivera among others time-strapped and item-less. "I took the day off early to come and pick up the clothes. They said it was until and now I’m here and I can’t get the clothes. I have over $300, $400 of clothes in there," Rivera disclosed in a Local 10 News interview. Frustration boiled over as two individuals inside Majestic Cleaners kept the door sealed, further inflaming the situation.

Attempts to glean insights from the business or the property manager fell on deaf ears, with no responses to calls or emails received at the time of reporting. The lack of communication and clarity on retrieval efforts only underscored the rising desperation of the clientele, who watched powerless as clothes hung untouched within the now inaccessible establishment.

Further aggravating the scenario was an apparent legal skirmish with Miami-Dade County concerning Majestic Cleaners' lack of an authorized groundwater monitoring system. According to CBS News Miami, a judgment against the dry cleaner predicated an eviction edict just nine days later. By 4 p.m., employees were seen exiting, leaving law enforcement and a crowd of disenchanted customers in their wake. "I've been waiting for two hours in the hot son, it's inappropriate that they do this to us this is not fair," said customer Jose David Suarez.