Photo by Katie Turpen.
Champion Cleaners
General Manager Ric Pevey and Owner David Whitehurst at Champion Cleaners in Vestavia Hills.
Inside Champion Cleaners, customers are met with the scent of fresh popcorn. They are also tempted by a bowl of chocolate candy.
Owner David Whitehurst considers these special touches his best form of advertisement.
“This gets both the kids’ and their parents’ attention,” Whitehurst said.
A longtime youth baseball coach and Vestavia resident, Whitehurst spent 30 years in the corporate arena before his life took a slightly different direction. His attention turned to dry cleaning, and he believed he could provide the market with efficient services. So, he stepped in.
In November 2002, he opened Champion Cleaners on Rocky Ridge Road. His goal was to change local residents’ perception of what a dry cleaning service should be.
“We bought this 50-year-old house and basically started from nothing,” Whitehurst said. “We came on the market at a good time.”
Champion Cleaners now has three locations in Vestavia, Hoover and Calera. Whitehurst takes pride in his businesses’ services of dry cleaning valet, pick up, store drive through and after-hours lockers. He also describes his team as “wedding gown specialists,” providing alterations and assistance for wedding garments.
Other services include Ugg Boots, band uniform, rug and restoration cleaning. Whitehurst says the one thing that sets him apart from other cleaners in Birmingham is simply quality of service.
“There’s nothing more convenient than delivery to the front door,” Whitehurst said. “We try to make it easy to do business.”
Whitehurst takes the customer service concept a bit further by delivering a monthly newsletter titled, “David Whitehurst’s Dry Cleaning News.” In addition to tips on how to take the best care of certain garments, the newsletter has a section on nutrition and even a column written by Whitehurst’s 12-year-old rescue lab, Champ.
“People are people, not some conglomerate,” Whitehurst said. “My wife and son have worked in the business with me. They know who the people are.”
The newsletter also recognizes three Customers of the Month. Each one hails from a different location and receives a $25 gift certificate to Champion Cleaners.
Whitehurst enjoys owning a business that gives people a multitude of options for care of their clothes.
“It’s about getting everything clean and back to the right person,” Whitehurst said. “It’s also about the magic in the process.”
