Smalls realizes her dream with new laundry
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
LaTonya Smalls has three
beautiful children: a 2-year-old
daughter, a 10-year-old daugh
ter and a three-week-old coin
operated laundry.
And like most new mothers.
Smalls' newest child gets her
up early in the morning and
keeps her up late at night. But
Smalls would have it no other
way.
"I don't mind the long
hours. This is my baby," she
said.
Crown Laundry Land is on
the comer of Acadia and Holly
rod streets in a racially eclectic,
mostly residential area. Pedes
trians and drivers find the
building hard to miss because
of the colorful and expansive
mural that adorns it.
The business is in a 100
year-old building that most
recently was used as a bingo
hall. Smalls acted as her own
contractor in the nearly year
long renovation process - per
sonally hiring the plumbers,
electricians and roofers and
working with them side by side.
Smalls had always dreamed
of owning her own business.
When she finally decided to
take that leap of faith, she want
ed the sort of business that
would allow her to balance her
duties as a mother and her part
time job, which she is keeping
for know, partly because of the
benefits.
"I wanted something that I
could do myself. I didn't want
to have to depend on a staff
because staff gets sick and
things happen in their life. I
PhtHos by Kevin Walker
LaTanya Smalls and cousin
Lee Smalls run the new
Crown Laundry Land facility,
which is off Acadia Street.
also wanted someplace where I
could bring my kids," she said.
Smalls and cousin Lee
Smalls man the laundry, which
is open each day from 7 a.m. to
10 p.m.
"If you don't see my face in
here, you will see his face,"
Smalls said.
Other family members have
helped by giving their time as
well. Smalls' father, Williams
Smalls, is one of her biggest 1
supporters. As she talked about
the laundry business Sunday, he
and his grandchildren decorated
a Christmas tree in a corner of
the facility.
The laundry is spacious
with lots of windows and open
spaces. Although a fairly new
business owner. Smalls has
already become a Whiz at sell
ing her business. She was quick
to point out that the laundry
boasts 20-, 30-, 40- and 50
pound washing machines.
"If you have a little bit of
clothes we can accommodate
you. If you have a lot of clothes
we can accommodate you." she
said. All of the dryers can hold
50 pounds of clothes. Smalls
scouted several laundries
before opening up hers. She
said she wanted to offer things
that the competition didn't
have. So at Crown Laundry
there is a large lounge/televi
sion area where people Can sit
down and fold their clothes.
The facility also offers a drop
off service for people too busy
to wash their own clothes.
The South Winston neigh
borhood that Crown Laundry
calls home is a true melting pot.
with white, black and Hispanic
households. Smalls plans to
brush up on the Spanish she
learned in high school in order
to better serve her clientele. She
also is having bilingual signs
printed.
Smalls is not only confident
that Crown Laundry will be a
success, she is already talking
about the possibility of opening
more laundries in the future.
Business failure is a topic that
Smalls has not given much
thought to, nor does she intend
to.
"I know that God did not
create this for it not to exist,"
she said.
Victory and Truliant credit unions merge
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Mergers are not new for
Victory Masonic Credit
Union. In 1984, it merged
with the Employees Credit
Union of Winston Mutual Life
Insurance Co., and in 1990
Victory merged with the
Shriner Masonic Credit
Union. Each move was a cal
culated effort by Victory's
board of directors to expand
available services and
enhance member benefits.
So merging with Truliant
Federal Credit Union is a nat
ural step, said Lafayette
Jones, Victory board chair
man.
"Small financial institu
tions are struggling to operate,
and their size limits how much
they can do for members,"
said Jones. "By merging with
a larger credit union, we can
offer a vast selection of serv
ices to our membership
because we'll have direct
access to greater resources."
Jones explained Victory
chose Truliant based on their
common mission, the array of
services Truliant offers and its
strong standing in the indus
try. Truliant has more than
$900 million in assets. Victory
will continue operations in the
5 Star International Market,
and Truliant has established a
call center to address the con
cerns of Victory members.
Truliant. with headquarters
in Winston-Salem, serves
about 170.000 members from
more than 700 different organ
izations in North Carolina,
South Carolina. Ohio, Florida
and Virginia. Its mission is to
enhance the quality of life of
its membership, which echoes
the primary goal of Victory.
"Victory successfully
served a diverse population,
and this merger will help us
continue these efforts," said
Marcus Schaefer, president
and CEO of Truliant Federal
Credit Union.
This merger lays the
groundwork for the creation
of a new brand of financial
tools, called Victory, designed
to address the specific needs
ttf African-Americans and
Latinos. It will continue Vic
:ory's legacy of advancing
Winston-Salem's minority
.ommunity. Second, Jones
will join Truliant's board of
directors as an associate direc
tor.
"Mr. Jones has a strong
background in diversity mar
keting. and these skills will
benefit Truliant and all of our
members," explained Schae
fer.
Finally, there are plans to
build a new Victory branch in
2004 between downtown and
East Winston for easy access
to the combined membership.
For more information,
visit the new Web site? at
www.victory-truliant.org or
call (336) 659-5335 for a
member services representa
tive.
Lafayette Jones, Victory board chairman; and Lois Burks,
Victory board member; present a gift to Marcus Schaefer,
Truliant president/CEO, to honor their new partnership.
Spelman
from page A8
Fortune 500 companies.
She has used her back
ground in national affairs and
in law to become a leader in
the House, serving in the
Democratic House leadership
group and as the Democratic
chair of the Women's Caucus.
She also has been a member of
the Committee on the Reorga
nization of the Congress,
appointed by the speaker
when the Democrats con
trolled the House.
Her success in writing bills
and getting them enacted has
made her one of the most
effective legislative leaders in
the House. She has a full vote
^in House committees and
serves on the Government
Reform Committee and the
Transportation and Infrastruc
ture Committee.
Designed to be a research
site, LEADS is a place for dis
cussion of contemporary
issues and their implication
ft>r public policy. It is an envi
ronment where students can
learn from women who them
selves have been on the front
lines of social change in both
the private and public sector.
It is also a place where finan
cial literacy and economic
development are promoted,
where the transformational
power of the artist as commu
nity leadefis embraced, where
opportunities for dialogue
across difference abound, and
where our commitment to
community service is
enhanced and civic involve
ment is inspired by example.
"Ultimately, the center is
intended to become a national
resource for all who are con
cerned about the leadership
development of women of
color," explained Spelman
College President Beverly
Daniel Tatum.
MBA
from page A 8
she worked for the Burlington
House Division of Burlington
Industries, in operations, as
well as in sales and market
ing.
Sauls has been promoted
to associated director of
admissions for the Babcock
School's full-time MBA pro
gram. She also will be respon
sible for minority recruiting.
Sauls previously served as
assistant director for interna
tional and professional devel
opment at the Babcock
School. Before joining the
university. Sauls served as
program director of Haven
House and as homestead fam
ily therapist at Morningstar
Family Resource Center, both
in LaGrange. Ga.
Eric S. Ellison
Attorney at Law
Practice Areas:
? Real Estate Closings
? District Court Practice
O
? Business Law
? Property Bonds
0
515 West 2nd Street O
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: (336) 723-7370 ? Email: EricSEIILson@aol.com
Woods to give
keynote tonight
at ceremony
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Dr. Krisly Freeman Woods,
professor of medicine at tyake
Forest University School of
Medicine and director of the
Maya Angelou Research Center
on Minority Health in the
Department of Internal Medi
cine, will deliver the keynote
address for Winston-Salem
State
Universi
I y ' I
Schtxrl of
Health
Sciences
Pinning
Ceremo
ny today
(Dec. II)
at 6 p.m.
in Diilard
Auditori
um of the Albert H. Anderson
Conference Center.
The ceremony continues the
observance of the school's
theme "Celebrating 50 Years of
Excellence in Nursing Educa
tion."
Woods is a graduate of
Oberlin College. Oberlin. Ohio,
where she received her bachelor
of arts degree in biology. She
earned her medical degree from
the Tulane University School of
Medicine. New Orleans, La. She
also earned a master's of public
health degree from Tulane Uni
versity's School of Public
Health and Tropical Medicine.
She has served as a profes
sor of medicine at Vanderbilt
University's Department of
Medicine in the General Internal
Medicine Section in Nashville.
Tenn. She also served as profes
sor of medicine, director of the
Meharry Sickle Cell Center and
vice chair of the research depart
ment of internal medicine at
Meharry Medical College in
Nashville.
She was associate professor
of medicine in the Medical Col
lege of Georgia's Department of
Medicine in Augusta. Ga. She
was also a member of the visit
ing faculty at Moi University of
Health Sciences in Eldoret,
Kenya, Africa.
The ceremony is free and
open to the public.
Woods
Make your community a better place
(without running for mayor).
Volunteer today.
Volunteering with AARP is a
wonderful way to help out the
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You could help influence state legislation,
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