Family Owned and Operated for Nearly 80 Years

It’s a rare occasion when “wedding dress” and “rodeo” are used in the same sentence. But Robert Bayless remembers the time his family business was called upon to fix the problems caused by the improbable combination.

Robert is co-owner and co-manager of Bayless Dry Cleaning, 1110 Kansas, along with his brother, David. They are carrying on the family tradition started by their grandparents and parents.

Phase 1: PREP - After the customer drops their items off with a member of the Bayless staff, the clothes make their first stop at the prep table. Here, an employee creates a detailed ticket with a list of each of the items in the order. The order has a unique I.D. number that is pinned to each of the items' tags so the order can be reassembled later in the process.

“Yeah, we had a gal who wore her wedding dress to a rodeo,” Robert recalled. “It was bad. We were able to use a couple of cleaning processes and took care of it.”

When asked if the new bride actually participated in the rodeo, Robert said “evidently.” The dress was stained with beer, whiskey and everything one might imagine an animal could leave behind.

Sanitone has long been the go-to product and process at Bayless. In fact, the local business is the oldest Sanitone licensee in the country. It also is the only on-premises dry cleaner in Barton County.

 “The technology involved in the detergents and its parameters are the best,” Robert said. “The cleaning fluid is purified and distilled. We have been recycling cleaning fluid for decades. The distillation process boils out the impurities and makes it re-usable.

Phase 2: SORT & WASH - Orders are sorted into separate bins according to their color and delicacy, and then cleaned in the machines pictured above. The larger of the two machines uses a petroleum-based chemical cleaner that is recyclable and re-usable after it is cleaned through a sterilization process. The smaller machine gently dries the clothes.

 “Sanitone ensures that the customer’s garment is clean,” he added. “It is the best but it is the most expensive; it has superior results and there’s even a different feel to the clothing and brighter colors. Those who know dry cleaning can tell the difference. That is one of Sanitone’s marketing points – ‘see and feel the difference.’”

The late Roy Bayless, Robert and David’s father, opened the business in 1933 in a building in the 1200 block of Kansas, which is no longer there. Roy built the current location, a block south, which opened in 1954.

 “Dad and his mother, our grandmother, got it going,” Robert said. “They were partners. Our grandfather also was in the industry when it was first invented. He was an equipment salesman in Arkansas and moved to Hutchinson.

Phase 3: INSPECTION & REPAIRS - Once the items are clean, they are inspected for rips, tears, missing buttons, loose hems, etc. If mending is needed, the Bayless staff will fix minor imperfections at no charge.

 “Then, Dad and our grandmother came here in 1933 – right in the middle of the Depression. There was no money for fans and they kept the doors closed to keep the garments clean for the customers. It was hot work.”

Roy married Evelyn McClain of Great Bend in 1938 when dry cleaning was only about 30 years old. The late Evelyn also worked in the family business, tending to the books and the front office.

 “When Dad moved here, he saw that Great Bend was an up and coming community. He saw opportunity here. Hutch had quite a few dry cleaners at the time. When the air base came to town they were processing all the uniforms,” Robert said, noting the family worked many long hours to accommodate the military.

Robert also remembers another type of uniform being a challenge – that of the Great Bend-based Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corp.

Phase 4: PRESSING - After clothes have been mended, they are immediately hung on hangers, and then sent to the next station to be pressed. Large commerical steam presses make quick work for the hundreds of pieces of clothing processed each day.

 “I remember those white pants,” Robert smiled. “They would be stained red from whatever track they were performing on. I can remember scrubbing those pants.”

Bayless started with just two employees – Roy and his mother. The number has fluctuated over the years, depending on the volume of business. Today, there are seven on the payroll and most are long-time employees. The only exception is a woman who moved here five years ago from Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina.

 “It is on-the-job training,” Robert noted. “It can take two or three months. Some people have a knack for it. I’ve been doing this all these years but I learn something new every day.”

Robert, 54, got out of the Navy in 1979 and started full-time at Bayless in the early 1980s. David, 50, came to work with the family in 1986. There were also stints at the store when they were younger.

Phase 5: FINISHING & STORAGE - The neat, pressed, mended articles are then sent down the line to be inspected one last time before they are grouped by ticket number to assemble the completed orders. Once all the items in an order are finished, the order is bagged and placed on the revolving rack. Each slot on the revolving rack is numbered, and that number is written on the order ticket that is kept at the front desk for easy reference.

At one time there were seven dry cleaners in Great Bend but Bayless can credit its longevity, in part, to its personal touches and special services.

 “We have always done minor repairs for free,” David commented. “The little touches such as fixing a loose button, a loose hem or a zipper -they are all included in the regular price. The garment should be ready to put on and wear.”

Some of the fix-up jobs are simply related to wear and tear. Other times, the customer has attempted a home remedy that went south.

For example, people have been known to hem a pair of slacks with a stapler instead of needle and thread.

And in other instances, they try their amateur hand in the professional field of stain removal.

“We see stains that customers tried to remove at home – especially on dry-clean-only clothes,” David remarked. “This can ruin the fiber and set the stain so it is even more difficult to remove. Beer, any kind of alcohol is difficult to get out. Red wine on tablecloths is difficult. Home remedies sometimes work well, other times they ruin the fabric.”

Phase 6: PICK-UP/DELIVERY - Customers who can't make it in to pick up their finished items during normal business hours can take advantage of Bayless' free delivery.

And then there was the man whose polyester pants had those little annoying “pills” all over. “We have a tool that can remove those pills,” David noted. “But he thought he would do it; he took a lighter and melted them off.”

Another special service at Bayless is its on-site storage facility for such items as furs and wool clothing, which attracts hungry moths. It is the only such facility between Kansas City and Denver, and Bayless serves customers from a wide area, including Wichita.

“We have better storage capabilities than a lot of dry cleaners in bigger cities,” David said.
In addition, Bayless offers a laundry service, as well as pick up and delivery.

The economy has had an effect at Bayless because “people are being pretty conservative as to what they will spend,” David pointed out. “But we have a long reputation of quality service. Even if they are buying less expensive clothing, they still like nice creases in their slacks. And a dry-cleaned garment will last forever.

“With the husband and wife both working, who wants to go home at night and iron the khakis and the shirts?”