JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At 18 years old, Pearl Graham fled an abusive home in Alabama and landed on Jacksonville’s Eastside where her faith and determination led to her becoming a pillar of the community.
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Graham said she originally didn’t want to come to Jacksonville; she wanted to go to Atlanta instead.
She was homeless for a month until she moved in with a distant cousin. Then she applied for a job at Spot Rite Cleaners, owned by a racist white man at the time.
“I was a country girl. I didn’t know how to do anything but pick cotton and shake peanuts, but he took me under his wing,” Graham said. “He would call the employees the N-word, but I didn’t want to go back to Alabama. I just wanted to have a life that I wouldn’t be ashamed of.”
She started by cleaning the bathrooms, but noticing her work ethic, he gave her more responsibilities. She began more work at the counter and eventually became skilled at other jobs like cleaning clothes and sewing.
“I watched them do that work, and I decided, ‘Hey, this is pretty good fun here,’ and I liked it so then I learned everything about the business,” Graham said.
That excitement didn’t last long because she realized she didn’t want to work at the cleaners anymore, mainly because of how the owner was treating the employees. Then, she had a conversation with an older woman.
Graham said that conversation encouraged her to stay. The owner showed favor toward her that the other employees didn’t get, something she said made them jealous.
She said she wasn’t going to let that disturb her, though.
The owner’s mother passed in North Carolina, and he didn’t have anyone to leave the business to. Graham told him to go see about his mother and that she would take care of everything.
“Sure enough, I handled the business…he came back and he said, ‘I don’t trust the [N-word] but there’s something different about you, little girl,’ and that’s how we accumulated a relationship,” Graham said.
His trust in her only grew from there. He was able to take days off, go golfing, and not spend so much time at the business because of how Graham ran it.
Eventually, she bought the business from him. She said her faith plays a huge role in everything she endured and accomplished.
“God gave me a personal relationship with him and when I would have dreams at night and then sometimes when I was being abused, I could see angels around me and that gave me a strong faith,” Graham said.
That strong faith anchored her to own Spot Rite for almost 50 years, but there were moments when she wanted to leave the Eastside.
“As I grew to love the Eastside, I decided this is where change needs to be made…because now I can have a say on the Eastside,” Graham said.
She said she saw all the drug trafficking and prostitution and felt she could have an impact on people in the area.
Graham talked about more changes she would like to see in the area especially with the Eastside standing to benefit from the Stadium of the Future deal.
“I’d like to see less homelessness out here because there’s a young lady across the street sleeping in a tent. I’d like to see people being able to live a good life here. They need somewhere to stay,” Graham said.
She added that she would like to see an institution where people could learn how to fill out job applications and access resources so they can better themselves.
Graham also leaves out free food for people to take, no questions asked. She said it’s something she’s been doing for a few years.
Graham loves the Eastside and would never leave. She loves the people there and the people love her.
Graham talked about a time when she unknowingly left the door to the cleaners open overnight.
“About 10 years ago, I left. I had to leave in a hurry for something and I forgot and left my door unlocked. One of the worst drug dealers and killers out here sat on the bench across the street until I got there at 8 a.m.,” Graham said, saying she felt loved and appreciated. “That’s just how people love me and I love the people. I don’t think anybody would do any harm to me out here because I’ve helped them financially, mentally, physically.”
