Business owner Sharelle Gates doesn't run a dry cleaners. But when the dry cleaners near her store was evicted and all the clothes inside were dumped onto the curb, she picked up the clothes and called every customer she could.
"Hi. This is Sharelle from Your Health. I have your dry cleaning," she said dozens of times Thursday in Hyattsville, Maryland.
She and another good Samaritan jumped into action when they saw people picking through the clothes left along Martin Luther King Jr. Highway (Route 704) and taking whatever they wanted.
"We tried to save some of them," Beverly Malone said.
Customers of the dry cleaners were grateful for their kindness.
"Thank you, ma'am," Sheldon Bryant said. He said he had one shirt there worth $50.
Lee Empire Cleaners was evicted from the King Shopping Center strip mall for failing to pay rent, according to the county sheriff's office. Sheriff's deputies correctly turned the property back over to the landlord, Chief Assistant Sheriff Darrin Palmer said.
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The sheriff's office told customers of the dry cleaners to check Gates' store, called Your Health, to see if she's holding their clothes for them. Gates said she eventually will donate unclaimed items to Goodwill.