National Clothesline
During the same year President William McKinley was assassinated, Schultz Tailoring and Dry Cleaners first opened its doors in Wilmette, IL. That was 1901. The business venture was
funded with money earned from mining gold in Alaska. Now, over 110 years later,
the business (now called Schultz & Odhner’s) continues to mend and clean clothes.
“Originally, the drycleaning process was done at a building across the street
where Chase Bank is now located,” noted Cory Schipfer, who co-owns the business with his brother-in-law, Dennis
Golden. “Once cleaned, the clothes were brought to the plant for pressing. The main plant
then housed about five to six tailors.”
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For example, the company operated under a second, low-cost alternative during
the Great Depression as Black & White Cleaners.
That history, however, only explains the roots of the first half of the company’s name… the Schultz side. What about the Odhner’s part?
In Hubbard Woods, IL, during the early 1900s, a man named Mr. Odh wanted to
start his own business. To distinguish it from his brother’s Odh Furniture Store, he called it Odhner’s Tailors and Cleaners.
Odh, who was the original tailor for the company when it started, was killed by
a train shortly after opening. His widow sold the business to Bob Klauke and
Fred Glover. Klauke’s nephew, Fred Golden, first began working in the store during high school in
1946.
Eventually, Fred Golden’s kids grew up working at the Odhner’s plant, including Dennis, whose sister Colleen is married to Cory Schipfer. The
two men began their partnership at the helm of the company in 1989 and still
run it today.
It wasn’t until 1974 that Fred Golden bought Schultz Cleaners in Wilmette, thus merging
the two separate companies together.
Prior to that, it was a long journey to reach that point with the Odhner’s side of the business.
After joining the Air National Guard and being activated in the Air Force during
the Korean War, Fred Golden returned home and wanted to expand the business to
support his growing family. It wasn’t long before he made the down payment on Northwood Cleaners in Winnetka.
“After owning and running his own store, the pressure had taken the best of Fred
and he developed a perforated ulcer,” Cory said. “Meanwhile, his cousin’s husband, Roger Windey, who had been running the Odhner’s store, agreed to help Fred out while he was in the hospital. He kept Northwood
open and ran it until Fred was able to come back to work.”
Though Windey and Golden were not actually family, they leaned on each other as
if they were. Eventually Golden bought his partner out and Odhner’s became a one family venture — and there has not been a shortage of family members to help since then. Fred’s children have had their fingerprints all over the business.
“Christy worked there first, after school. She waited on customers and worked on
the production line,” Cory explained. “Danny helped to keep the store clean. Cathy soon followed in her sister’s shoes, but she added the ability to sew. She is currently the shop’s seamstress today, several years later. While Colleen was there, the route
driver at that time had quit. Lucky for Fred, Colleen was old enough to drive
and she offered to do the route during her summer break. When Dennis finished
high school, he took over the route and is currently doing that today.”
About ten years after Fred Golden had bought Schultz Cleaners, Colleen’s husband, Cory, first began working at the family business.
A handful of years later, Fred retired in 1989. At that time, Dennis and Cory
consolidated various stores and locations under one roof in Wilmette, but still
opted to offer pickup and delivery service to the North Shore.
“Since Fred moved on, his family values have lingered at Schultz and Odhner’s,” Cory said.
Not only have the family values remained present, but so has most of the family
it seems.
“Dennis’s Aunt Dolly worked for Fred early on at Northwood Cleaners and came back to
work at Cathy’s request after the merger,” Cory explained.
Cathy’s son Bill used to work at the plant before going to trade school and her
younger daughter, Maggie, still does.
Meanwhile, Cory’s kids — Brandon, Ryan and Emily — all worked at the plant throughout their high school years.
“They all helped pay their way through college by learning a strong work ethic
early in life,” he added. “All of the kids that have worked here acquired a respect for the service
industry and what it takes to treat your customers with respect.”
Additionally, Dennis’s wife, Maryann, helps out with decorating the storefront, doing monthly
statements and organizing the Wedding Expo in which the business annually
participates. Cory’s wife Colleen also helps out when needed.
“Countless other family members have worked here through the years,” Cory added.
Not all families can work together in one business for so long, but it has
certainly been one of Schultz & Odhner’s biggest strengths.
“The most rewarding thing about a family business is that we all care about the
work we do and the customers that we do it for,” Cory pointed out. “We all know the joys of being there for the births of our children, illnesses of
loved ones and the loss of those close to us. We also share in the same joys
and sorrows of our customers.”
Not surprisingly, when the company was featured at a red carpet celebration in
September for its 110th anniversary, a lot of those customers showed up to
cheer them on.
At the event, Village President Christopher Canning read a proclamation that
extolled all the virtues of Schultz and Odhner’s exemplary history and the positive effect it has had on the local community.
In fact, the company used the day to kick off its third annual coat drive
collecting coats, blankets, hats and gloves for those in need. It was
originally launched when the recession began.
“When the economy turned back in 2008, we saw our customers struggling like all
of us in small business. We started a policy to ‘pay it forward,’” Cory noted.
During that time, Schultz & Odhner’s also began offering free outfit cleaning for those going in for job
interviews.
In addition to fostering plenty of family support and a genuine love of the
business, Schultz & Odhner’s can also trace its success to its commitment to quality.
“People know that if they have a $3,000 dress to clean, they will bring it to
Schultz & Odhner’s,” Cory said. “We will go that extra step for our customers, making sure their garments are
ready to wear as they remove them from the garment bag — all seams sewed, buttons reattached, special requests dealt with.”
Such attention to detail is a large reason why many customers still do business
with the company even after they have moved away from the area.
“These folks box up their cleaning and ship it to us,” Cory explained. “Once it’s clean and ready to return, it’s boxed and shipped. Shipping around the country works well for people who want
the best work possible.”
That willingness to help customers in any way possible has generated a deep
local impact.
“We take the time to know our customers. Some people say we are the ‘Cheers’ of drycleaners... where everybody knows your name,” Cory emphasized. “Sometimes we feel like the ‘Macy’s’ of drycleaners. If we can’t do what you need, we can direct you to those who can. We even go out of our
realm and have helped people with finding auto mechanics, electronics, special
clothing, restaurants, bakeries and directions to most anywhere in town.”
Such flexibility has kept the business alive for 110 years and it seems poised
to last for a long time in the future mainly because Dennis and Cory have kept
on top of the changing times.
“During the last several years there have been many of our vendors who have
stopped producing or moved their business. Most drycleaning supplies are no
longer manufactured in the USA, so that means getting the quality products that
we were used to is now a challenge and sometimes impossible to obtain,” Cory said.
When their local supplier of detergent and sewing needs closed its wholesale
shop, it made it much more difficult for the business to meet the demanding
needs of its customers.
“Sometimes I shop the local sewing stores for small items like zippers and
thread, but the variety isn’t there,” he added.
Yet Cory and Dennis don’t believe in giving up in their pursuit of perfection. They simply refuse to
settle for second best and advise other drycleaners out there to do the same.
“Know your product and never be ashamed of charging for your perfection,” Cory said. “We have always known we were more expensive, but we make no excuses for that.”
