American Cleaners survives the flood

Vicki Hyatt, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 16—CANTON — Despite being flooded with 5 feet, 2 inches of water after Tropical Storm Fred, Tom Wilson's American Cleaners didn't miss a beat.

His 10 employees didn't miss a day's work, either, as operations were shifted from Canton to his locations in Waynesville and Buncombe counties.

Thanks to competitors in the region, Wilson and his staff were able to work during the off hours at dry cleaning places in Asheville and Sylva to keep the business going.

Both the Candler and Waynesville locations were spared from flooding, so customers were referred there for pickup.

Shortly after the Canton business was filled with water and mud, employees from Southern Porch were swooped in to lend a hand.

The Southern Porch staff was unable to open because of water issues in the town, so the business paid its employees to help other business owners that had been directly impacted by the flood.

When Nathan Lowe, co-owner of Southern Porch, found a briefcase in the water with the initials T. Wilson, he took it American Cleaners to see if it belonged to Wilson.

"The moment he saw it, he recognized it," said American Cleaners co-owner Michaela Lowe, noting it contained all his important papers. "We took that as a sign we needed to volunteer there."

The bottom 5-6 inches of clothing that was hung as high as possible when Wilson realized the business would be hit by yet another flood got wet, but all were able to be cleaned and were returned to customers unstained. Only two comforters that were missed in the turmoil of trying to save as much as possible were washed downstream, Wilson said, noting the owners were very understanding.

While there is plenty of hustle and bustle at the Canton site where the dry-cleaning part of the business is operational, the lack of computers has prevented the location from being open to customers.

Wilson had flood insurance, but it was only enough to cover the mortgage on the building. He estimates damages above and beyond that amount at $200,000 minimum.

"My CPA asked me if I would sell or close down," said Wilson, who is 83. "I told him I'd keep going."

Part of the reason was his brand new equipment purchased recently that worked fine once the motors were replaced.

Now all locations are up and running, and business is as brisk as ever.