You Car Will Shine Like New at Clayton Detailing
A lot of us don't think about it, but car detailing is a big business. A very big business. And When you do it right, you don't even have to worry about advertising; your work advertises itself when it hits the road. There's nothing quite like a car shining like the day it was bought, and there's one place in Pulaski that can take it above and beyond even the new car look.
Clayton Detailing has been around since March of 2015, in the hands of a very capable man and his wife, Ian and Teresa Clayton. With over 5 years of experience, Mr. Clayton knows his way around just about every make and model of car, truck and vehicle out there, and it shows.
It wasn't easy starting out though. Mr. Clayton had a difficult time finding a suitable plot of land or building to establish his business, checking out sites in Pulaski, Dublin and Radford. He had actually found what he thought would be his opening site in Radford, right on Main Street. But he happened to be in Pulaski one day, and saw a building to his liking tucked away behind Sani Mode Barber Shop. He left a note on the door, expressing his interest in renting the location; soon after, the current renter contacted him to let him know that his lease was almost up, and he was welcome to have the building once it was vacant. The rest is history, and the site is still the location of Clayton Detailing to this day.
If you check out Clayton Detailing's page on Facebook, the shop has a perfect rating of 5 stars; that's right, not a single review has rated it at anything less than perfect. This speaks for itself, because if you're anything like me, you can be very picky about who you let work on your ride. But it wasn't easy to make it to that point. "It really took word of mouth to begin with. We did some details for a couple of friends, and when they left their neighbors and family were like ‘wow, where did you get that done?'" For the first year he was open Mr. Clayton handled all of the detailing himself, charging customers a flat rate no matter the job or how extensive. "I needed to get my work out there, my name out there, get people talking about me." He had some hired help over the next couple of years, but things didn't pan out so he ended up back on his own in the shop. A couple more years after, his wife Teresa joined him in the shop and they've been working in tandem ever since. But don't let the results fool you; this is not an easy job. "The week before last I ended up putting in 108 hours here. I am really committed to this place. There's nobody or nothing that can get me out of here. I have some health issues that sometimes affect me while I'm here, but I just shake it off and get right back to work. I can't give up and go home, I have a family, I have a kid, and I'm committed to the customer."
It isn't about just making sales at Clayton Detailing; they want to ensure that everyone who gives them business is satisfied enough to become a return customer. Aside from the impeccable detailing, they accomplish that by treating everyone who walks through their door as a potential friend. "Any other detail shop can do what we do, they just don't want to." It goes back to the word of mouth advertising; as news has spread, Mr. Clayton and his wife have seen customers come from much farther outside of the Pulaski area, some from Riner and even as far as Wytheville. Those customers chose to make that extra drive to Pulaski because they know Clayton Detailing is the best that you can get anywhere in the New River Valley.
The path that has led Mr. and Mrs. Clayton to their current point has been long, arduous and winding. But for such a resilient man and woman, the struggle only serves to increase their desire to make Clayton Detailing a household name. "It started off as a passion, and then it became my baby, and then I just had to prove everybody wrong. I've had this fire under me to this day. Now everyone's saying ‘well you've been there five years'. That's not good enough. I want a second shop, I want a third shop. I want to be in two or three towns." Part of that fire comes from his experience prior to opening their shop in Pulaski. He had been working for a detailing shop in Wytheville befor he opened in Pulaski. As things progressed, the owner and Mr. Clayton didn't see eye to eye on things and he was let go. He determined that he would open his own detailing shop; the folks from Wytheville laughed at the idea, but Mr. Clayton meant business. That night he started taking notes on everything he would need to get started; the building, the insurance, the supplies. As mentioned, he got approval to rent the building here in Pulaski, and went straight to work. Rain or shine, heat or cold, him and his wife have poured blood, sweat and tears into their business.
Clayton Detailing is a prime example of small business taken to the extreme in Pulaski. From the exemplary customer service to the final product in their finished vehicles, they started from the ground up. They're still climbing, but they've made it to a point that few have the ability to brag about. But they don't brag; Mr. Clayton and his wife are both humble people, and incredibly kind. They've become so ingrained in Pulaski's community, that their customers sometimes come by to ask if they can treat the Clayton's to lunch, or to take their daughter over to Subway for a quick bite to eat when she's hanging out in the shop over the summer. You're hard pressed to find that kind of camaraderie anywhere these days, but it's out in spades in Pulaski, especially at Clayton Detailing.
If I haven't convinced you that you need to pay Mr. Clayton and his wife a visit, just check out their Facebook page. As I brought up earlier, you're not going to find a less than perfect review of their work. They frequently update the page with before-and-after photos of the vehicles they detail. And if you're a company looking to give your vehicles a new shine, they've got you covered; they already have contracts with the Pulaski Police Department, Public Works, and the funeral homes throughout Town. You can also reach them by their website here, or by phone at 540-553-6666. The Town of Pulaski is proud to host a business under the leadership of someone like the Claytons, and we look forward to their continued success.