WOMAN to WATCH A LOVE FOR PEOPLE FUELS ONE WOMAN'S DESIRE TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY
HUNDREDS OF AREA RESIDENTS ATTENDED A BLACK LIVES MATTER MARCH AND DEMONSTRATION LAST SUMMER IN DOWNTOWN HOLLY SPRINGS. WILKINS, PICTURED CENTER, HELPED TO ORGANIZE THE EVENT.
Agent of Change
Y
ou’ll be hard pressed to find a stronger advocate for Holly Springs than Chanel Wilkins. You may have already met Wilkins, offering a consultation at your home — she’s the co-owner of Agents of Clean professional cleaning company. Or been encouraged by her at the Black Lives Matter march in Holly Springs last year, which she helped organize. Or read her thoughtful questions in the IMPACT Holly Springs Facebook group, of which she is the creator and administrator. Or sat next to her enjoying a meal at Vieni, one of her favorite local hangouts. Or known her as a proud parent of Holly Springs High School students. 42 October/NOVEMBER 2021
Regardless of where you run into Wilkins, her cheerfulness and positivity is infectious, as is her drive to be an advocate for good in the community. Wilkins has a natural inclination for caretaking, which comes from her great grandmother, who helped raise Wilkins during her childhood in a small town outside of Atlanta. “She felt it was her obligation to take care of the people in her town,” Wilkins says. “Giving was a normal part of life.” Moving to Holly Springs as an adult felt like an extension of her Georgia roots. “I love that everything is new. I love that it was a fresh, clean start. It was familiar to me,” Wilkins says. “I had been in a
city that had done the same thing before.” Wilkins’ affinity for caretaking merged into a career when she and her husband, Princeton, started Agents of Clean auto detailing and professional cleaning company. At the outset, auto detailing was a side business for Princeton, until one of his clients inquired about house cleaning as well. An unwavering “yes” meant the fledgling business spontaneously added residential cleaning to their services. “I’m (cleaning) on a Saturday; not happy about being there.” Wilkins remembers of that first residential client. “And I get done and get ready to pack up, and I’m like, ‘I like this. I really like what just happened.’” “In the corporate world, there’s just
INSET PHOTO BY DON FEELY PHOTOGRAPHY
Written by Emily Uhland
