STYLERITE CLEANERS

by Nyle and Gladys Hodges

Entry B24 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

The Mangle in the Style Rite Cleaners. Early
1970's Doris Miller operator.

Left - Style Rite Cleaners of the 50's bring remodeled
for Dr. Brian T. Vineyard's Dental Office - 1982

Gene and Fern Meyers brought the first
drycleaning equipment into the Mullen area
the latter part of 1946. They set up shop in
the building known as "Smitty's Butcher
Shop", now part of the Tip Top Variety Shop.
Prior to that drycleaning was left at the
Delicatessen, now Long's Pool Hall, to be
taken to Alliance.

In the June 30, 1949 there was an an-
nouncement in the Hooker County Tribune
that a new block building was being laid up
by Frank Stoughton with Elmer Hauck
helping, Les Beeler doing the plumbing, east
of the Theatre Building (now B&D Enter-
prizes).

Meyer's operated the business until 1959
when he sold to Lee Boyer and John and
Velma Maire ran the business. In 1965 Mac
and Mildred Rayfield rented it, in 1969,
Maires took it back and and with Doris
Miller's help, operated until 1970 when Nyle
and Gladys Hodges rented it. There were
pickups and deliveries west to Hyannis and
east to Dunning, business was good even with
"Wash and Wear" but soon petroleum price
sky-rocketed and by 1975 they had tripled.
No way could you charge three prices for dry
cleaning. Nyle bought a carpet steamcleaning
machine and drove a school bus to compen-
sate; but the last of May 1975 he turned the
boiler off. The building is now the Dental
Office of Dr. Brian Vineyard.