Like Mother, Like Daughter
/Kendal Griggs of Kendal’s Cleaning Co. Follows in Her Mother’s Footsteps
By Sarah Vammen
For most people, cleaning is a chore. For Kendal Griggs, cleaning is a passion.
Kendal, 24, was born and raised in Texarkana. She has a four-year-old son, Whitten, and a fiancé, Bryer. “I also have four amazing siblings who I truly couldn’t live without,” she said. “We have always been inseparable, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
From a young age, Kendal and her siblings knew the ins and outs of cleaning, as their mother, Carey, owned and ran a cleaning service. What began as a solo venture for Carey quickly grew into a successful business, aptly called Carey’s Cleaning Service. Carey regularly brought her kids with her to jobs, as many small-business owners do.
“My siblings and I would actually help her clean offices in the evenings when we were all pretty young,” Kendal recalled. These were some of Kendal’s favorite early memories. “She would put us to work, but we had so much fun doing it. It never failed that, by the end of the cleaning, something would have all of us laughing until our stomachs hurt.”
Carey with her children, Kendal, Paiten, Victoria, Landon, and Rylie.
Kendal and her siblings always assumed one of them would take over or partner with Carey’s Cleaning Service. Unfortunately, Carey passed away suddenly in 2014, when Kendal was only 14 years old.
“My siblings and I were very young and not in the position to step in and keep [the business] up and running,” she explained. Eventually, the family made the heartbreaking decision to close down Carey’s Cleaning Service. “It was kind of like losing her all over again,” Kendal said.
After high school, Kendal attended the University of Central Arkansas, planning to go into the dental field. However, her mother’s advice echoed through her head. “She taught me to love what I do so that it never really felt like work,” Kendal explained. She realized that working in dentistry wasn’t where her heart lay. “I decided to do what I had a passion for—cleaning,” she said.
Kendal launched Kendal’s Cleaning Co. in early 2021, in the Little Rock area. Though she loved Little Rock, Kendal ultimately wanted to be near family and continue what her mother started all those years ago, so she brought Kendal’s Cleaning Co. home to Texarkana.
Operating Kendal’s Cleaning Co. in Texarkana has been a way to keep Carey’s memory alive.
“Homes are our happy place, and I love making them that way for my clients.”
“It’s been so rewarding rekindling with clients who used my mom’s service over 10 years ago,” she said. “I know [my mom] would be so happy that I decided to follow in her footsteps. My mom was truly irreplaceable, and I hope I leave a lasting impression on every client just like she did.”
Kendal strives every day to honor her mother through her work. “I was only 14 years old when I lost my mom, but she taught me so much in the years I had with her that I will never let go of,” Kendal said. “I believe my mom’s success was a reflection of her compassion for people, and I carry that with me as well. No one is perfect, but I take pride in how I treat people.”
Although cleaning is not something everyone enjoys, Kendal finds it extremely satisfying. “Cleaning houses may not sound like the most fun profession, but I’m working on changing the name of the game,” Kendal said. From working with her mom, Kendal learned at a young age how rewarding the cleaning business can be. What she loves most is how much happiness a clean home can bring.
Kendal with her fiancé Bryer Caraway, and son, Whitten.
“Homes are our happy place, and I love making them that way for my clients,” Kendal said. “It’s really so rewarding.”
By embracing her mom’s legacy and honoring her memory, Kendal is building a business and life that Carey would undoubtedly be proud of. Kendal hopes to grow Kendal’s Cleaning Co. into the top cleaning service in Bowie County, to continue fostering lasting relationships with her clients and to build a business she can someday pass on to her own children. “And, in the meantime, we will continue making Texarkana happy, one house at a time,” Kendal shared with a smile. “As my mom said, ‘We don’t cut corners; we clean them.’”