This a place that I have been meaning to write about for several years. As with most of us, I just got busy with my daily life and never got around to it.
I have used Hayes Cleaners my entire life. It is located in the small town of Chesnee in a nondescript building in the downtown area. It is in an ideal place because one may easily run numerous errands in a short period of time. It is near the telephone company, post office, and close to the local restaurants.
While the prices are the some of the best that I have ever seen, I always enjoyed going there because of Mr. Hayes. He always remembered your name and had time to chat as you dropped off your clothes or picked them up. They still use the old-fashioned tags where they write your name on the tags.
If one went inside with a child, he asked permission to give them bubblegum and made many children happy if the parent said yes.
Even when I lived in Georgia and now in California, whenever I visited my SC home, I always brought clothes to be cleaned, mended, or altered. I knew the quality would be there, the price would be very reasonable, and I would get to chat with an old friend.
When I visited Hayes Cleaners over the Christmas holidays, I noticed that Mr. Hayes was a little quieter. I remember thinking that he was looking older and wondered if the cleaners would remain open after he died. I knew he had a grandson who worked there sometimes and wondered if he would take over the business.
It was very ironic that a few days after I left SC and came back to CA, some friends posted on Facebook that he died. It made me very sad. He was someone I respected and enjoyed talking with. He will be missed. I hope his family continues in the tradition of Mr. Hayes' legacy . read more
