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Po raft of
,noD S. RIGGS
StaffRepotter
DBTROrr - In 1962, who
ould have thought an 8-year­
old boy tossing newspapers on
neighborhood porches in Mar­
vell, Arkansas would be a suc-
cessful entrepreneur? I
Alvin Taylor did and he said
he always - he would one
day own his own business.
.. al ays fel that I would be
a businessman," Taylor said. I
had always worked and had my
own money."
As owner of Taylor's Car
Wash Oil and Lube, Coin-
, -
Operated Wash and co-owner
ofT & M Restaurant located in
the East Seven Mile-Ha se
area, Taylor said a little lu.ck
and 10 of hard work go him
there.
Residents walking and driv­
ing by eeing signs .sayi.ng
Taylor's this and that may thin
- this guy's got it made.
Taylor says they just don't
know the large extent of labor
he put into his 12-year-old busi­
ness.
" worked from 7:30 in the
morning to 2:30 in the morning, "
Taylor said. "I w�ed �s al!
day and did er JObs at night.
Born and raised in the South,
hard work nothing new to _
Taylor. Starting ork at the
tender age of eight, Taylor, now
35, said he has worked every day
since.
Holding down j<? .ranging
from janitor to working 10 a cot­
to gin to being a Ford Motor
Co. factory worker, Taylor said,
he knew hard ork as re­
quired to make sufficient
money b t he also �vered
he couldn't advance IDtO
career . th thOse types of jobs.
"I just couldn't ee lI!yse�
getting ead," Taylor said, I
wanted to do something dif­
ferent."
A stro e of -so good lu
losing a $10- -hour job, led -
him into lucky streak.
In 1980, Taylor, despi e his
devotion to his automotive fac­
tory job, . d off d paid
$3700 in une ployment com-
pensation, . .
Doing odd JObs in the com-
munity hile laid off brought
him to the East even Mile­
,Hasse area and a familiar face
- I
to sever al of the 'business
owners.
Realizing that working for
someone else is not as secure as
being your own boss, Tay�or
upon receiving the S3?00 �­
qui red about purchasmg hIS
own business.
With the $3700 in pocket, he
walked into the car wash, which
he now owns, and asked the
owner about buying another
neighborhood car wash.
The previous owner
responded, "Who wants to buy
a car wash?" Taylor said he told
him that he did.
At that time the owner said,
"I'll sell you this one. How much
you got, junior? I'll sell it to you
for $3500."
After buying the car wash,
the coin-operated car wash lo­
cated across the street, then
also owned by someone else,
caught on fire.
That owner asked Taylor if
he wanted it too. Taylor said ye
and began to expan� in.to h!s
present business which 15 still
growing. Taylor said he pl� to
open up some car lots ID a
couple couple of years.
Howard Taylor, 26, Alvin's
younger brother said he �ad �­
ways wanted to come hve 10
Detroit and helping his brother
out in his business the per-
fect opportunity for a job. .
With a bachelors degree m
business admiaistr tion from
the University of Arkansas,
Howard soon became manager.
The younger Taylor agrees
with Alvin's hard work
philosophy. -
"I watched (Alvin and my
other brothers) while I was
growing up," Howard said.
"(And I .learned) You have to
believe in yourself and what you
do. Alvin wants everybody to
give 100 percent, 110 if that's
what we can get."
Alvin's and Howard's
brother Wayne co-manage the
restaurant which goes by the
name of T & M 'standing for
Taylor and Cedric Mitchell. A
fourth brother owned several
businesses in the South until his
death.
. Alvin said he encourages all
neighborhood children who
show an interest in working.
"I accommodate a lot of the
kids around here by giving them
little jobs," Taylor said.
Taylor said he helps m3:ke up
the fabric of the African­
American dream - working
hard, having a financial founda­
tion for continual investments
and never giving up no matter
what, plus providing a posi�ve
role model for community
children who are also dreaming,
like he did, of 0 e day becoming
a successful entrepreneur.
Alvin T y1or, 1110 a day'
lag the boo
p-
)
Wayne Taylor prepare hi ·open pit" rib
peelal erved t T & M Re taurant.