Santa Arrives Early at Ohio Laundry

By PlanetLaundry staff | Dec 22, 2009

Christmas came early for eight customers and two employees at Spin City Laundromat on Sunday, when an anonymous couple came in and handed each one a card containing a $100 bill.

Holly Dunlap and Dana Watson were working at the self-service laundry in Dayton when the couple came in.

“My first thought was that the couple had just come in from church,” said Dunlap, adding that she and Watson didn’t recognize the pair. “They were dressed conservatively. The woman had on a long black dress and a bonnet, and the man was dressed in black.”

She said the couple didn’t say anything as they handed out the cards.

“The cards said, ‘Merry Christmas,’ and on the inside said, ‘Happy holidays and many happy days to follow. Jesus loves you!’”

Dunlap said after they realized what they had received, a few people caught the couple at the door before they could leave and hugged them.

Watson said they thanked them, and the couple said, “You’re welcome. Merry Christmas.”

Why Spin City was chosen for this little Christmas miracle is unclear, but Dunlap said the customers and employees can certainly use the unexpected windfall.

“We have a lot of people who are down and out, but are still trying,” she said. “We had one woman who just lost her house, and Dana has five kids.”

"I'm usually giving money at work, for a dry or something like that if a customer is short," Watson said. "Nothing like this has ever, ever happened to me before. I can't even win $2 with a lottery ticket."

The 32-year-old said she is going to finish up her Christmas shopping with the money. "I'm going to Toys R Us," she said.

Fellow employee Holly Dunlap, who also was given $100, lost her job about a year ago in California and has been working at Spin City since this summer.

"It's just a great thing, especially with the economy and people losing their jobs," she said.

Dunlap, 29, said she plans to use the money for her new career path. "It will help pay for college this quarter," said Dunlap, who wants to become a dental hygienist. "Maybe pay for my books."

Barry Cooper, one of the owners of Spin City, said he and the staff had just had a meeting on Saturday to talk about customer appreciation.

"We are having a drawing for customers to win $20 to be put on their Easy Card," Cooper said. "And we are offering free drying [yesterday and today]. The laundry is very close-knit."

Also, Cooper said that about six months ago Spin City added four desktop computers for customers. They cost $2 to $5 to use, depending on time.

"Customers can look for jobs on there, get e-mail, etc.," he said, adding that his business tries to give back to the area. "We look at the place as a little community."

Source: Dayton Daily News