Preparing To Pass The Torch

November 2006 marked the first anniversary of the opening of Neal’s Vacuum & Sewing Center’s third location in Iowa and the entry of a third generation of the Kleindolph family into the business. The family is celebrating a successful first year at the new location, and at the same time, celebrating their past and the “roots of the business” which trace back to 1951.

It was July of ‘51 when Neal Kleindolph started a vacuum cleaner sales and service business from the basement of his home. He and his wife Betty still reside in that home and his original workbench is still there. His slogan was “For a cleaner deal see Neal.”

His decision to enter the vacuum business was ignited while working as salesman at a local furniture store where he sold Lewyt vacuums. He received many requests for parts and service on other makes. Thinking this might be an opportunity to have a business of is own, he made some inquiries and got started in his own business. The owner of the furniture store encouraged him to stay on as salesman until his fledgling business got of the ground. In the years to come Neal received many referrals from both the furniture store and customers he had served while working there.

By 1955, Neal’s Vacuum Cleaner Sales & Service had outgrown the basement workshop and Neal and Betty opened their first store in downtown Muscatine, IA. 1956 saw a move to a better location at 309 E 2nd Street, where the Muscatine store is still located. Sewing machines were added a few years later along with an expansion into 311 E. 2nd Street.

Those early years saw Neal’s selling a variety of products and brands. In 1963 Neal added Viking Sewing Machines, the brand they still sell. 1964 saw another building expansion and the addition of Jerry and Sandy, Neal and Betty’s eldest children, as they became actively involved in the business while they attended high school.

Fabrics came to Neal’s in 1968. Betty taught hundreds -- if not thousands -- the SEW KNIT & STRETCH (today’s Kwik Sew) method of sewing stretch fabrics and the fabric and classes business took off.

In the spring of 1970, Jerry Kleindolph graduated from college and decided to join his parents and sister in the family store which was now known as Neal’s Vacuum & Sewing Center. Jerry’s wife Linda also joined the firm to help with classes and the fabric business.

Neal’s incorporated in 1975 to make it easier to pass the business on when that time came. That year also saw the last expansion of the Muscatine store as it added 307 E 2nd Street. This last addition brought total footage to 4,800 square feet, which allowed more space for classes and showroom.

The torch passed to Jerry when he purchased the business in 1978. Neal remained active on a part time basis until 1984 at which time he and Betty retired.

Neal and Betty laid the foundation for a successful retail business. They were really quite simple -- work with a passion for what you’re doing, be honest, go out of your way for you’re your customers, and never stop learning ways to do things better.

As the business continued to grow, Jeff Hunt (another family member) joined the firm as a technician. Today, Jeff, who is Neal and Betty’s youngest daughter’s husband, manages the service department and the sales and purchasing of vacuum cleaners and related products.

While the business continued to grow and key education and sales positions were added, it became evident that Neal’s needed to consider new markets in which to expand sales. Numerous options were considered; the stumbling block was finding the right people to work in a new location.

An opportunity presented itself in 1998 when JoAnn’s Fabrics purchased the So-Fro Fabric stores. The So-Fro store in Davenport, IA, had a sewing machine department which had been one of the best performing in terms of sewing machine sales, and it was in a market 15 times the size of Muscatine and was only 45 minutes from Muscatine. All that and the manager of the department was willing to stay! So with help from Viking and a good deal of sweat equity from Neal’s staff, a new location opened.

Fast forwarding to 2004, Benton Hunt (youngest grandchild of the founders) indicated he was interested in joining the business. Benton had been studying business and business communications and working at various retail sales positions in Iowa City while attending college. He found he really enjoyed selling and working with people but college was not getting him where he wanted to be fast enough. After considerable conversations, the decision was made that Benton would join the business in the spring of 2005 with intent of taking control of the operations in five years.

After some sole searching by Jerry and Linda, and more discussions with various staff, it was decided to open another store in Davenport to give Neal’s an even stronger presence. They felt a new location, especially on Davenport’s fast growing northeast side, would give them a great place to showcase all of their products and services, and yet be far enough away from their JoAnn location to keep it and have the traffic it generates on the west end of Davenport. The move would also allow them to consolidate their advertising to television and radio which covers Muscatine as well as Davenport.

So, a location was chosen -- 5141 Utica Ridge Road in Davenport -- and more sweat equity was invested, especially from Benton. Then in November of 2005, this third location of Neal’s Vacuum & Sewing Centers officially opened.

Describing the new location, Benton said, “It is a six-year-old freestanding red brick building featuring lots of windows, which provide great natural lighting, and has very attractively landscaped grounds. The show areas are open and roomy with plenty of seating which helps our customers feel comfortable. Each selling area features LCD screens playing informational CDs related to products in that area. The vacuum area has several comfortable chairs for customers to watch demos on a surface made up of a variety today’s popular flooring styles. Many sewing machine cabinets are open with machines and accessories so customers better visualize the cabinets in their own homes.”

“The store was enthusiastically received!” noted Jerry. “And since opening we have added another salesperson and several teachers to the new store. One of the most popular programs is our Sew Fast, Sew Fun, Sew FREE Class. This a three-hour sit and sew with any machine a customer has or would like to have where they make a project which teaches them basic sewing skills and also introduces them to some sewing tools. We provide all the supplies for the project and make sure good sewing tools are available for use and sale. We also promote our classes and clubs in hopes of nurturing a new sewer, quilter or embroidery enthusiast.”

“At Neal’s we still build upon the foundation which Neal & Betty Kleindolph laid over 50 years ago, and we have added a few blocks along the way,” added Jerry. “Two of the most important are: you can teach a lot of things but you can not teach attitude and it is all about attitude.”

Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, February 2007