Good health, good help keep Ron's Dry Cleaners going
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff reporter
When Ron Widler took over the dry cleaning business on South Second Street in Marion from Gail and Bea Merrill in October 1972, there were similar businesses in Hillsboro, Cottonwood Falls, Peabody, and Herington.
Now, those businesses are gone but Ron's Dry Cleaning remains. He gets business from a wide area and travels to Hillsboro twice a week for pick up and delivery.
He is in his 30th year as owner and operator. "This was a really good business," he said. "It was operated in a good manner and that's how I've tried to keep it. I always try to do excellent work."
He goes out of his way to provide good service, such as using extra-large hangers to hang extra-large clothes.
He said a large part of his success is due to good help. Pearl Helmer worked for him for 26 years. He said she was excellent help, knowing how to press and repair clothes. His present employee is Wendy Steele, who worked part-time for a while, then took Helmer's place when she retired.
"Not nearly as much is dry-cleaned as used to be," he said, adding that his business tends to ebb and flow with fashion or fabric changes.
Several years after he entered the dry-cleaning business, leisure suits for men came into fashion, causing a drop in business, but the change didn't last long, he said. Men soon went back to better quality. Fabric used in women's dresses also determines how much business he has. About three years ago, he said, he was cleaning more women's dresses than ever before.
The 70-year-old Widler operates a coin-operated laundry in conjunction with his dry-cleaning business. He is able to maintain the machines himself, making it more profitable.
From 1975-1988, he operated a Frigidaire appliance store at Second and Main, just to the north of his dry-cleaning store. He purchased the machines from a wholesaler in Wichita. In time, he said, it became more difficult to get machines, and people could buy them cheaper elsewhere.
Widler and his wife, Dorothy, moved to Marion from Burns in 1955, shortly after he took a job at the Marion County Record office. He worked at the Record for 18 years before buying his own business.
The couple has been married for 51 years. They have two children: Steve and wife Vanessa of Washington, Iowa, have two children. Daughter Jeannie is married to Brad Wildin of Marion. They operate The County Seat. The Wildins' son Joshua is 24 and daughter Clark is 22. Clark and her husband, Josh Whitwell, gave the Widlers their first great-grandson two years ago.
Widler plans to keep his business going as long as possible.
"If I ever decided to quit this business, I maybe couldn't sell it if I wanted to," he said. "As long as I am in good health and have good help, I'll keep going."
He considers himself semi-retired, working only part-time and taking time off whenever he desires.
He is an avid gardener. His garden is on a six-acre plot at the north end of Marion County Lake. He sets out more than 30 tomato plants every year besides growing many other things and finds much pleasure in giving produce away. He also has two horses.
The Widlers are members of Valley United Methodist Church, where he serves as trustee and she is church secretary. He also belongs to Centre Lodge #147, AF&AM, Marion.
