RALEIGH, N.C. — Seven years ago a massive fire destroyed a Raleigh dry cleaning business that’s been open since 1916.
Since the fire, Brothers Cleaners has been able to come back stronger than before, and the owner is doing what he can to give back to the community that has supported his family’s business.
What You Need To Know
- Brothers Cleaners is offering to dry clean an interview outfit for anyone who is unemployed
- The business owner says he wanted to find a way to give back to the community that has supported them since 1916
- They do not ask for any proof that people have an interview scheduled
“They're pressing. These are spotting people. They're inspecting different things as the process goes through. We've got Addie over here who's replacing buttons. We do free button replacements on any buttons on shirts that are coming loose or might break during the cleaning process,” Ben Hilker, the team leader and owner of Brothers Cleaners, said.
After 107 years in business, Brothers Cleaners is a well-oiled machine.
“We've got customers that have been with us for 30 or 40 years and their children are now using us. They're grown up. They're in the workforce,” Hilker said.
Hilker is the fourth-generation owner. He says cleaning 25,000 pieces a week wouldn’t be possible without their 96 employees.
Hilker says he owes the community for the success of his family’s business, especially after a massive fire at their Atlantic Avenue location in 2015.
“We had a guy that was changing a light bulb and a spark went off and it caught all these shirts and bags on fire. There were 95 firefighters here,” Hilker said.
They were able to rebuild and he started looking for ways to give back. Recently, Hilker started offering a new service for people, free of charge, inspired by a personal experience.
“I had a young gentleman come in for an interview and he tried his hardest to dress up. He had a shirt on and he was doing [the] best he could. His pants were wrinkled, but you could tell he was so nervous and he wanted the job and I made him feel comfortable. I said, ‘Hey man, we can make you look good. We'll press those pants. We'll make that shirt look nice for you,’” Hilker said.
That’s why he put a sign in the window offering to dry clean anyone’s interview outfit for free if they’re unemployed.
“I knew that there's other people out there that are down on their luck. They're trying to get a job at a place they may or may not have ever worked [or] dressed up before. They don't have those clothes. So they go out and they purchase them. Then now they want to look good for the interview,” Hilker said.
He hopes this one small gesture can take a little weight off of someone’s shoulders.
“I think going into interviews and being prepared and having that one thing to not worry about, and look good, is big on your confidence walking in that door,” Hilker said.“I think going into interviews and being prepared and having that one thing to not worry about, and look good, is big on your confidence walking in that door,” Hilker said.
He says they don’t ask for any proof from people who ask about the offer.
“Just walk in the door and we'll clean it for you, make sure your shirt looks good, your collar is pressed, your pants look good and your jacket looks good, and we'll deliver it back to you,” Hilker said. “All the surrounding areas are growing and to be a part of that is a blessing. To be able to service the customers and help them and give back is something we're happy to do.”
Hilker believes the world needs more kindness and this is their way of leading by example.
“To do this for other people and risk it being taken advantage of, it's something that people don't do anymore. We need that nowadays more than ever, people being kind to other people and taking the opportunity to to give someone a chance. I'm allowing someone to come in this door taking their belief that they're going to an interview and get something done for free,” Hilker said.
Two other initiatives Brothers Cleaners helps out with include Suiting Warriors, which donates clothes to service members who leave the military to pursue other careers, as well as Cinderella’s Closet, which donates prom clothes to high schoolers.
“I think we all could use a lending hand every now and then. I think the main thing is being able to trust. You have to trust that someone's going to come in and be honest with you. That's hard to do nowadays and I think we can't give up on that,” Hilker said.
