In preparation for the store owner’s 35th-anniversary celebration, Dave High picked up cupcakes and drinks. But seeing him sitting all alone made for a pretty sorry sight. And that’s when a sympathetic woman made a desperate plea on Twitter!
Dave High (61) met his wife Christina in college at Fresno State. Right after the couple graduated, they opened Sunrise Health Foods and got married two years later.
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Since then, they’ve welcomed five children and one grandchild. And all the while, the family business has been chugging along, selling all kinds of health-related items everything from essential oils to foods to vitamins.
Credit: Twitter/@kaylaaa_jackson
So, when the store came upon a huge milestone, 35 years in business, Dave wanted to thank all the residents who made it possible. But the store owner’s 35th-anniversary celebration didn’t take off quite like he’d hoped.
At least, not at first. Thankfully, though, this is one of those stories of compassion that will restore your faith in humanity!
Store Owner’s 35th-Anniversary Celebration Flops
Dave eagerly set up for what he expected to be a busy day. He ordered cupcakes, carried in drinks, and waited for the customers to arrive.
But no one came. In fact, it was one of the slowest days ever. Dave’s excitement soon fizzled to bitter disappointment.
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Finally, the door opened and someone walked in.
That someone was Kayla Jackson. Her husband works as a security guard for the shopping center where Dave’s health store is located. And it broke the couple’s heart to see Dave so down.
“We were just talking to him, and he was just saying it was his 35th anniversary, and how he didn’t expect it to be this slow, and he was kind of sad that no one had come in yet,” Kayla said.
Dave is old school. When asked about his store’s longevity, he explained:
“I can memorize dates, or names, and try to be friendly to people, and I’ve got the Irish background. Maybe it’s just stubbornness.”
He doesn’t know much about social media, let alone use it for his business. Ironically, though, it was Kayla’s posts on Twitter that saved the day!
Online Plea Saves Store Owner’s 35th-Anniversary Celebration
Kayla couldn’t stand seeing such a kind, hardworking man like Dave get his heart broken. She recalled on Twitter how his locally-owned business used to be booming, but then chain stores started taking over. And she shared how the kind shop owner regularly treated her husband, Peter, to vitamins and water.
“He’s such a sweet old man and people take him for granted,” she said.
And so, Kayla snapped and shared a sad photo of Dave on Twitter, pleading with folks to celebrate with him, either by swinging by the store or making a call.
This is Dave. He owns Sunrise Health in Fresno, Ca. Today is his stores 35th anniversary and he was expecting people to come in. He bought cupcakes, soda & decorations and NO ONE showed up. I just got here and he brought everything out to celebrate. Can we get him so recongnition pic.twitter.com/MOSevdzqZE
- kayla (@kaylaaa_jackson) July 26, 2018
Kayla continued Tweeting about Dave’s story and encouraging folks to come celebrate. And once the story got out, the store owner’s 35th-anniversary celebration was inundated with visitors!
“It just went off the clock. Everybody was coming in from nine in the morning until right now. People were in the store shopping,” Dave gushed.
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And for those who saw the story but couldn’t come into the store, the phone started ringing off the hook. David’s son, Richard, has barely gotten a break from answering calls coming in from all over — from Colorado to Mexico to Hawaii!
The anniversary went from a complete flop to a day Dave will never forget. And this real-life story of compassion just goes to show what can happen when social media is used for kindness!
WATCH: Store Owner’s 35th-Anniversary Celebration Saved By Desperate Tweet
h/t: Sunny Skyz
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@kaylaaa_jackson
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