A Clean Case of Lifevesting

It was the Wednesday afternoon before my Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary when I got the phone call from my mother. She was calling to make sure that I was packing my suit to take to Alabama for the celebration. Needing to bring a suit, being new news to me, came at an very inconvenient time. I knew that the one suit I owned was dirty and since I was getting ready to go to work I would not have time to drop it off by the dry cleaners before my scheduled clock-in time. I went to work, came home late and went to bed. The next morning (Thursday) I woke up and went to class. I arrived back in my dorm room at around 11:00. Knowing that I was leaving to go to Alabama Friday morning I began calling dry cleaners. For forty-five minutes I called business asking them if they could clean my suit and have it back to me today before 5:00. No Luck. At the end of my rope I reached the last number under the dry cleaner's section in the phone book, Tyler's Cleaners.

The woman who answered the phone was very nice and seemed to be a person in some position of power (latter I would find out that she was the owner of the business, Mrs. Tyler). I told her my situation and asked if there was any way she could get my suit cleaned and back to me by 5:00. Without hesitation she said,

Well even though it's a little late in the day if you can get it by here by 12:30 we can get it cleaned for you.

I hopped in my car and drove across town to the location of the cleaners. When I arrived I quickly found out that the same woman on the phone was behind the counter. I told her that I was the man on the phone, she smiled, and took my suit. She then turned and asked for my phone number, I gave it to her she wrote it on a piece of paper and pinned it to the suit. Along with it a note that read,

Rush Order! Call When Ready!

She informed me that it would probably be close to 5:00 before it was ready. I reassured her that 5:00 was great as long as it was clean, and then left. At a quarter to three my cell phone rang, it was the same woman telling me that my suit was ready and that she personally had just pulled it off of the rack. When I arrived at the cleaners to pick up the suit she again greeted me with a smile and gave me the suit, I paid her for the services and asked for a few business cards. I told her I didn't know of many college students who used dry cleaners but if anyone ever asked me I would send them to her way. She handed me the business cards, thanked me, and wished my grandparents a happy 50th.

Mrs. Tyler did what she had to more often than she probably wanted to for less money than she deserved all because she had a larger view in mind. Mrs. Tyler was a lifevestor but even more than that she ran her business with the same principles. I don't know how much business I gave Tyler cleaners, but I handed out all of the business cards, and every time I need something dry cleaned I will drive past four other dry cleaners on my way to Tyler Cleaners.

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