My grandfather, Harvey Shepherd, and his four older brothers, Will, Frank, Harry, and Albert, followed their father Thomas Shepherd into the laundry business. That was, of course, in the day before many homes had washing machines, but even so advertising and innovative ideas were important to success. And in the Spring of 1927, my grandfather introduced a new plan for Easter.
In 1927, Easter fell on April 17th, and it was on April 9th, exactly 98 years ago today, that the Shepherd's Laundry in Houston offered to dye Easter eggs for free with every load of laundry. The following ad ran in The Houston Chronicle. I have no idea if this brought in more laundry or how many dozens of eggs were dyed, but it was a creative suggestion!
Most of the Thomas Shepherd grandsons also went into the laundry business, but not my father. He had worked in the laundry as a teenager and could always remove any stain from almost any material, but he was the black sheep on the laundry sign. That was probably a wise choice financially since by that time nearly every home had a washing machine and often a clothes dryer as well - although my father always maintained that he wouldn't mind going back to work at the end of the day, but he'd want it to be about something more important than a pair of lost socks!
Hope your Spring is bright and that your Easter preparations are going well.
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