After 52 years of service Gary Thomas retires in style

In 1956, Jack Wilcher opened Jack's Deluxe Cleaners at what was then 1947 N. 3rd St. Jack quickly became known not only as a great cleaners, but one of Milwaukee 's best tailors. Since that time, there has been a lot of change in the area. Third Street has become Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and has had its ups and downs; most recently with a dramatic increase of activity, adding more than 25 businesses, 1,300 jobs, $100 million in investment and over 300 housing starts in the area.

Through it all, Jack's has remained a constant, with friendly service and a dedicated staff: Jack Wilcher retired in the early 1980s and a new neighborhood legend emerged to take over the shop, Jack's son Grady Thomas. As a young man, Grady helped the family business by picking up and delivering orders to customers, a service Grady personally provided until the day her retired-July 31.

"I had opportunities to do other things, but I wanted to continue my father's legacy," Grady says. As a result of his tireless work, the reputation his family has built for themselves in the community has continued. Teig Whaley-Smith, executive director of the Historic King Drive Business Improvement District indicated that "Grady and Jack have been icons in the district for decades. They both have inspired other entrepreneurs to make a living for themselves by working hard and committing to the neighborhood. Although the doors on Jack's physical building may soon open into a new use, the inspiration of Jack, Grady and the Wilcher and Thomas families will always be with us."

Although no details are yet available on what the purchaser of the building intends to do with the building, Whaley-Smith is confident that with growth in the area a new business is likely to fill the space soon. "This space that Jack's is vacating is next to the only area in the city that you can get flowers, chocolate and a great look within a few steps of each other. We fully expect a comparable main street retailer to locate to the space soon."

At 2:00 pm on Thursday, July 31 Grady released 52 balloons to celebrate the 52 years his family served this area. Neighboring business Reader's Choice donated the cake and ice cream and the business improvement district presented Grady with a plaque of honor for his service.