Content about Store Profiles

May 16, 2013

Going Industrial: Quality Linen Makes the Leap from Coin (Conclusion)

SALISBURY, Md. — Multi-store owner moves commercial business into newly constructed industrial laundry facility

SALISBURY, Md. — By successfully serving small commercial accounts from one of his two coin-operated laundries, Mitch Wyatt nurtured a reputation that today has him handling the laundry needs of major hospitality, healthcare and food and beverage clients. Recently, to meet increasing production needs, Wyatt moved his commercial business into a newly constructed industrial laundry facility here.

The Quality Linen Services building turns out 1,700 laundry pounds per hour, using minimal labor, water and energy — giving Wyatt the opportunity to draw new clients and boost profits.

PROGRAMMABLE BY CUSTOMER

Each of the Girbau Industrial TBS-50 Eco-Tunnel’s seven modules is programmable for duration of the wash cycle, water temperature and levels, bath partitions, rapid draining, chemical injection, mechanical action, closing parameters and more.

“We’ve preprogrammed the computer by customer and all of the items they use,” says Wyatt. “This is vital with customer-owned goods because we can separate each customer’s linens by color code in the system and track them throughout. They don’t want to lose their linens.”

One of Wyatt’s hospital clients, for example, has 20 items, including bed pads, sheets, gowns, scrubs, blankets and towels. “Each item, one through 20, is programmed differently,” he says. Similarly, hotel items—sheets, pillowcases, towels and mats—are each programmed differently. At any time, the Quality Linen staff can see where items are in the cleaning process: the Eco-Tunnel, conveyor, press or dryer.

HOW IT WORKS

From a touch-screen station, one employee runs the Continuous Washing System. He or she selects a customer number and program on the Eco-Tunnel’s central computer screen and loads the tunnel conveyor, which automatically weighs each 110-pound load. The conveyor moves the goods up an incline, where they are automatically loaded into the first module of the tunnel washer. Every 110-pound load travels through seven modules, and each module is programmed to perform a function for four to six minutes, such as pre-wash, wash, rinse, etc. After the programmed time duration, the load is automatically transferred to the next module.

The Eco-Tunnel uses less than a gallon of water per laundry pound and completes even the dirtiest 110-pound load in 42 minutes, according to Wyatt.

“I like everything about it,” he says. “It operates off of steam, has a drain-water heat reclaim system, filters, and then reuses 60 to 70% of the water.” As the central component of the Continuous Washing System, the tunnel reuses rinse and extracted water for pre-wash. Because water is recycled, less water is used and heated, lowering associated costs.

Once a load travels through every tunnel module, it enters the press, where it’s pressed—and water is extracted—until linens resemble a condensed “cake.” Via another conveyor system, each cake is loaded into an open dryer. Sheets are quickly separated in the dryer and run through the ironing line still damp, while towels are completely dried and subsequently run through the laundry’s automated folding and sorting systems.

IRONING LINE

Once the cakes—sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths and napkins—are separated in the dryers, they are run through an ironing line while damp. Two attendants feed the ironer, processing 80 feet of linen per minute. Ninety percent efficient, the gas ironer is also programmable to meet specific needs, according to Wyatt, and automatically adapts cylinder speed according to linen type and moisture content. This eliminates the need to dry linens before running them through the ironing line, which saves natural gas and production time.

“We can finish 400 sheets per hour using this ironer,” he says. “To have a piece of equipment finish so many different item types is amazing.” Once ironed, the various napkins, tablecloths, sheets and pillowcases are automatically folded.

FOLDING DRY GOODS

Meanwhile, dry goods, such as towels, gowns, robes and bath mats, are fully dried and put through an automatic folder, which processes 1,200 items per hour. A variety of items are fed into the folder one after another, where they are automatically folded according to pre-programmed fold specifications, sorted and stacked. “The folder allows us to wash and dry different items, like hospital gowns, towels and bath mats, in one load,” says Wyatt. “It eliminates the need for up to two operators.”

PRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCY, SERVICE

Thus far, Quality Linen is processing 100 pounds of laundry per operator hour (PPOH), but Wyatt hopes to improve that number by 20%. “Quality and productivity are so much greater,” he says. “We were getting good quality before from our Continental washer, but from the Eco-Tunnel, we are getting superior quality.”

The facility is capable of processing 95,000 pounds of laundry per week using one shift, or, using two, processing 190,000 pounds. Simultaneously, Wyatt maintains he’s able to properly serve a variety of customers.

“We have clients with customer-owned goods who rely on us to provide superior service,” he says. “Because of our advanced technologies and equipment, we can clean, finish, and track virtually any item, according to our clients’ specific needs.” And that, Wyatt says, is what sets Quality Linen apart.

May 14, 2013

Going Industrial: Quality Linen Makes the Leap from Coin (Part 1)

SALISBURY, Md. — Multi-store owner moves commercial business into newly constructed industrial laundry facility

The Quality Linen Services building turns out 1,700 laundry pounds per hour, using minimal labor, water and energy — giving Wyatt the opportunity to draw new clients and boost profits.

DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS FROM COIN LAUNDRY

“I serviced five hotels, two assisted-living facilities, one university, and two restaurants out of one washer at my coin laundry,” says Wyatt. “We used a 55-pound-capacity Continental E-Series Washer that would maintain a temperature of 140 degrees and stay at that temp. I was getting stuff so clean, my clients were amazed.”

Once cleaned, tablecloths, linens and napkins were pressed and finished using a Continental Flatwork Ironer. Wyatt’s staff then folded, stacked and delivered the items to clients.

PRODUCTION NEEDS SURGE

All went smoothly until Wyatt secured a five-year contract with a local hospital. “I knew I needed significant industrial equipment to fulfill growing production requirements,” he says.

So, he sought help from Operations Manager Doug Colonna, who holds 15 years of industrial laundry experience; Deke Sheller of Fowler Equipment, a laundry equipment distributor in Baltimore; and Joel Jorgensen, vice president of laundry equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau.

The 10,000-square-foot industrial facility required careful planning, a partnership of experts, and a mix of highly efficient industrial laundry equipment engineered for bolstered productivity, according to Wyatt.

DEVELOPING AN INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY FROM SCRATCH

“We worked with the engineer constructing Quality Linen’s building and all elements of laundry design, construction and utilities,” says Jorgensen of the project. “We went on to define specific laundry production needs, the equipment mix, and solidified financing over an eight-month period.”

In the end, the new building featured a Girbau Industrial Continuous Batch Washing system capable of processing 13,600 pounds in an eight-hour shift.

The facility’s powerhouse is its seven-module Girbau Industrial TBS-50 Eco-Tunnel with four-stage water reclamation, water filtration and drain-water heat recovery. Complementing equipment includes a Girbau Industrial ICP3 Incline Loading Conveyor, SPR-50 Press, Dual-cake Delivery Shuttle, three ST-100 Dryers, a PSN 80 single-roll gas thermal ironer, FT-LITE Folder, AP LITE Stacker and an FT-MAXI triple-sort dry goods folder.

Two Continental Girbau CG-120 Dryers, and two Continental E-Series washer-extractors (55 pounds and 90 pounds, respectively) round out the lineup.

CONTINUOUS BATCH WASHING

The system not only boosts laundry productivity to 95,200 pounds per week using a single shift, according to Wyatt, it takes just one employee to operate and manage, is stingy on water, and produces high-quality results.

Key to Wyatt’s equipment decision was his need to properly manage and process laundry for a variety of accounts. “Unlike most of our competitors, we provide rental service, as well as service for clients with customer-owned goods,” he says. “We required equipment programmable by customer, so items would be properly cleaned according to each client’s unique needs.”

Check back Thursday for the conclusion!

April 25, 2013

North Dakota Fracking: A Gold Rush of Coin-Op Opportunities (Conclusion)

WILLISTON, N.D. — Laundry facilities serving oil field workers pose special challenges for store owners

WILLISTON, N.D. — A four-hour drive northwest from Bismarck, N.D., will lead motorists to the city of Williston, where a modern-day gold rush has incited oil miners to flock to the area to mine for natural gas trapped beneath the state’s water table in the Williston Basin.

While the oil business has brought a financial boom to the Williston area, a new necessity has emerged, roused by the influx of workers and their families: “greaser” laundry facilities.

In the past year, The Minnesota Chemical Co.’s Terry Anderson has had a hand in answering the area’s laundry needs by designing and building two laundries: one in neighboring Watford City (population 1,759) and the other in Tioga (population 1,230), each about an hour’s drive from Williston.

DESIGNATED MACHINES

For greaser laundries, it’s important that certain machines are designated specifically for greaser use, according to Anderson. “You can’t have somebody do their greaser laundry, and then somebody comes [after them] and puts their white sheets, towels and regular clothes in, because greaser laundry machines can never get all of [the grease cleaned].”

At his Suds Laundry in Watford City, N.D., Robert Trupe has designated two machines for his attendants to process commercial accounts, and six for self-service, specifically for greaser laundry.

“In the wash/dry/fold area, we just have two of them that we put big, yellow labels marked ‘Greasers’ so the attendants know which machines to use for greasers,” says Trupe. “And then we put the same type of signs out on the self-service side for the customers.”

Considering the blend of mud, oil and grease that covers workers’ uniforms and garments, what cleaning procedures are needed? Many of the garments face a variety of washes, Anderson explains, that are adjusted at different settings than traditional laundry loads.

“What you need to have [is] a pre-wash and a wash where you can inject detergents,” says Anderson. “Normal clothes can have a wash-dry-spin in about 24 to 30 minutes. These, you might set the water levels a little higher, and then extend that wash cycle longer.”

“The greaser machines are programmed for longer wash cycles [or] additional rinses, so they all have two washes and two rinses,” says Trupe of his store, adding that those machines use water at 140 F.

Despite all this, there are times when garments have to be re-washed because of the condition they are in, he adds. “Once in a while, if you get a really heavy load, some of the oil is pretty tough to get out because it’s thoroughly saturated with this heavy grease that they use in the oil fields.”

Employees at Charles Barton’s Clean Jean’s Express Laundry in Tioga, N.D., have had to re-wash garments as well, despite the pre-soak and different washes that they use to process garments. “We do our best to run several types of cycles through them, depending upon what the grease is. Sometimes we have to extend the wash cycle, sometimes we have to soften the water. Sometimes we have to use more soap than what you ordinarily would use, sometimes we use a different mixture than what we’d ordinarily use.”

Barton’s chemistry background as a consultant for pharmaceutical companies comes in handy at times, but he also learns from his employees which combinations of industrial detergents work best. “We’re refining the process,” he says.

Trupe has also used trial and error in finding which detergents to use at his store. “Finding the right mix of chemicals [is] a little bit of trial and error until you get all of your machines [and] cycles set up. It’s taken us a few months to get it down [but] we have help from Minnesota Chemical and some other vendors that were able to help us get the right mix of chemicals.”

As a safety precaution, Trupe requires his employees to wear rubber gloves and face shields while handling the strong detergents.

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

Equipment in greaser laundries endures a heavy toll, what with the concoction of grease and industrial-strength detergents on top of hot temperature settings and numerous cycles run daily.

“If you don’t clean them, it’s not good on the equipment [and] certainly it won’t last as long,” says Barton. “We take quite a bit of pride in regards to our equipment, so we clean it on a routine basis.”

In addition to wiping and cleaning machines multiple times throughout the day, Barton also practices running a no-load cycle to ensure that washers are thoroughly cleaned. “Oftentimes we’ll have to run a special concoction […] through the washers to make sure that they’re all clean. And we also clean the [dryer] filters on an everyday basis.”

For its part, Minnesota Chemical sends out technicians to service machines on a regular basis, Anderson says. And to ensure that store owners know how to properly take care of their machines, the company hosts educational sessions on maintenance standards.

“We have these service schools [where] we talk about the things [owners] need to do [for] preventative maintenance to make sure [the machines] are cleaned out and make sure everything is working,” says Anderson.

Besides the maintenance requirements, greaser laundries face another challenge: the lingering odor of grease in dryers.

Trupe says that using certain chemicals helps reduce the smell. “There are a couple of different chemicals that we use depending on the application. There are deodorizers, but then there are other chemicals that we can add that [are] additional cleaning agents that have a nicer smell.”

INVESTMENT AND EXPANSION

Regardless of the special needs that their facilities present each day, Trupe and Barton both say it was worth moving into the area.

“We’ve been hearing a lot of good things,” says Barton. “We certainly wouldn’t be at the level that we are in, particularly with our wash-and-fold business, if we didn’t provide high-quality service.”

In addition to growing Clean Jean’s wash/dry/fold service, Barton is in the process of opening an Internet cafe and gourmet coffee shop at the front end of his facility.

Trupe says opening Suds Laundry has “definitely been a good investment.” Though he’s considered looking at neighboring towns for other business opportunities, he says he would first like to establish his Laundromat before pursuing other ventures.

“We don’t want to expand until we get our systems and processes nailed down in this facility,” he says. “Once we make sure that this thing can run completely smooth, then we can take the systems and processes [and] plug them into the next business.”

April 23, 2013

North Dakota Fracking: A Gold Rush of Coin-Op Opportunities (Part 1)

WILLISTON, N.D. — New necessity emerges from booming business: “greaser” laundry facilities for oil field workers

Oil is mined through a process known as hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—which involves drilling a mixture of water, sand and additives into a reservoir, ultimately creating a passageway for miners to procure the previously trapped natural gas, says energy services company Halliburton.

Oil production and takeaway capacity in the Williston area has steadily increased over the years, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration reporting last April that 600,000 barrels of crude oil were being produced per day.

While the oil business has brought a financial boom to the Williston area, a new necessity has emerged, roused by the influx of workers and their families: “greaser” laundry facilities.

“You have people all over living in man camps [or] living in RV parks that don’t have laundry [facilities],” says Terry Anderson, a coin laundry equipment salesman for The Minnesota Chemical Co., a distributor headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.

In the past year, Anderson has had a hand in answering the area’s laundry needs by designing and building two laundries: one in neighboring Watford City (population 1,759) and the other in Tioga (population 1,230), each about an hour’s drive from Williston.

CLEAN JEAN’S EXPRESS LAUNDRY

Owner Charles Barton consulted with Anderson to build his facility, Clean Jean’s Express Laundry, in Tioga. His family has been in the area since the late 1930s. In addition to owning Clean Jean’s, he has also set up an RV park to cater to workers from the oil fields.

“I have 31 spaces since putting that in three years ago,” says Barton, who’s seen about a half-dozen more parks built within a three-mile radius and believes more are on the way.

Clean Jean’s, which opened in August 2012, is an attended coin laundry located three blocks up Tioga’s Main Street, and sits at the far end of Barton’s RV park. A portion of the facility, encompassing 1,760 square feet, was originally a Quonset hut built in 1956 for a cement plant. Barton’s family took ownership of the building in 1976, and in the construction process ended up adding another 480 square feet at the front of the facility.

His store offers Speed Queen industrial equipment, including 15 front-load washers with capacities of 20, 30, 40 and 60 pounds, as well as 28 dryers with capacities of 30, 45 and 55 pounds.

Like many coin laundry stores, Barton’s has taken advantage of the added service of wash/dry/fold.

“We started off primarily with self-serve and then there [was] a need for [wash/dry/fold],” says Barton, who began offering wash/dry/fold service in October. “We started off with 10 customers the first month, and we’re well past 200 customers now.”

But what sets his facility apart from others, he believes, is the fact that he accepts greaser laundry—garments that oil workers wear in the oil fields—which he explains is “just about impossible to get cleaned.”

“You can’t just throw it in the washer and go through the same motions that one does for non-greaser clothes,” he says.

Barton’s facility sees mostly uniforms and coveralls that have “heavy oil on them,” he adds.

SUDS LAUNDRY

Robert Trupe processes similar greaser garments at his store in Watford City.

“You’ll get anything from gloves to their jeans or shirts [or] coveralls,” Trupe says. “Other companies that do have uniforms [will] bring in their uniforms. It’s really any of the exterior clothes that these guys are getting muddy.”

Trupe also consulted with Anderson in building Suds Laundry, a 3,600-square-foot Laundromat he opened last September on Watford City’s Main Street. His store, which employs six attendants and a full-time manager, also offers added services such as shower stalls, mailboxes and a Wi-Fi lounge area, in addition to wash/dry/fold.

“We took the approach that we needed to be more than a Laundromat,” says Trupe. “We see it as kind of taking the pain away from laundry, because it’s a little more [of a] relaxing atmosphere.”

Like Barton, Trupe invested in Speed Queen equipment—washer-extractors ranging in capacity from 20 to 80 pounds, and dryers up to 75 pounds in capacity.

Check back Thursday to learn how these two stores tailor operations to serve these special needs!

April 18, 2013

Calvary Laundromat: Attendants and Atmosphere Energize Customers (Conclusion)

RALEIGH, N.C. — David Makepeace creates inviting store built on friendly staff, sophisticated equipment, colorful décor

RALEIGH, N.C. — The yellows, blues, greens and shades of red at Calvary Laundromat in Raleigh are decorator-designed to create an inviting atmosphere, says owner David Makepeace. But the intangible atmosphere, the one that customers find welcoming, is created by his staff.

Makepeace says he’s “extremely” happy with sales at the 3,000-square-foot laundry, located in a small shopping center in the midst of large apartment complexes. “The success of it depends on the people you hire,” he says. “I have wonderful attendants.”

He names several other contributing factors, including the technological sophistication of its 30 front loaders and 28 dryers.

STARTING ON GOOD FOOTING

Makepeace is a former commercial banker in Charlotte and Raleigh who decided 13 years ago that “I wanted to go out on my own, to find a business and learn it and eventually buy it.” He was drawn to a cleaner/laundry because “It’s not going to go out of fashion like the buggy whip. Everybody’s going to need to get their clothes cleaned.”

He approached the then-owner of Medlin-Davis Cleaners and proposed, “You train me, and I’ll buy it from you.” Over the years, he rose to president, supervising three cleaning plants, three pickup and delivery routes and nine stores in Raleigh and neighboring towns, plus one small coin-op in the long-established Cameron Village shopping center in Raleigh.

Four years ago, unsure about the owner’s intentions of selling, he determined to start his own laundry while continuing to supervise Medlin-Davis. His wife Lee offered her full support.

It was at the beginning of the recession, but some businesses, including laundries, do well in that environment, he believes.

To financially strapped customers who need to clean their clothes, “This is a very affordable way to do that, rather than going to Lowe’s or Home Depot to purchase a washer and dryer.”

He’d worked with Medlin-Davis’ 1,500-square-foot laundry so he “had a general feel of how they operate.” Plus, T & L Equipment Sales gave him the specific knowledge he needed.

Makepeace discovered the Coin Laundry Association and joined immediately. “They had an absolute wealth of information they could give me.”

Co-owner Lee worked as full-time attendant the first six months, and David gives her credit for starting the laundry off on a good footing. “She did a wonderful job of establishing relationships.”

In 2010, he bought the part of Medlin-Davis that operated in Raleigh and the nearby town of Wake Forest: two cleaning plants, four dry cleaning stores, three pickup and delivery routes for cleaning and wash/dry/fold, and the Cameron Village coin-op.

His wife became head of accounting and administration, while he functions as head of operations. They have 60 employees.

Wash/dry/fold work for the routes is done at one of the cleaning plants. Wash/dry/fold work for the Cameron Village coin-op, which is unattended, is processed at Calvary along with its work.

Makepeace is a firm believer in keeping up not only equipment but appearances. Four-year-old Calvary has already been repainted once, and the checkerboard of floor tiles there is stripped and waxed every quarter, he says. Recently, some floor tiles were replaced, and a chair rail was added. “It’s very important that we keep up with wear and tear.”

At the 1,500-square-foot Cameron Village coin-op, Makepeace renovated everything: floor, walls, ceiling. He replaced all the machines with new ones after he found, “Stuff was always breaking down. I was losing business.”

Once again, he turned to his wife’s decorator friend for a color scheme. This one is more subdued—lots of pale blues and browns—in keeping with the supposed preferences of the retirees and North Carolina State University students who are its customers.

He added a large-screen TV, Wi-Fi, and new furniture.

He’s now enlisted the help of a marketing firm in designing not only a marketing plan but a logo, revamped storefronts for the cleaners, and even “the lettering on our vans.” And he says he wouldn’t mind having another coin-op.

After a 10-year apprenticeship and now four years of ownership, Makepeace believes he knows “what it takes to be successful.”

April 16, 2013

Calvary Laundromat: Attendants and Atmosphere Energize Customers (Part 1)

RALEIGH, N.C. — David Makepeace creates inviting store built on friendly staff, sophisticated equipment, colorful décor

RALEIGH, N.C. — The yellows, blues, greens and shades of red at Calvary Laundromat in Raleigh are decorator-designed to create an inviting atmosphere, says owner David Makepeace.

“It’s very vibrant,” says Makepeace, and makes customers feel more energetic. “It’s not depressing beige or white walls.”

But the intangible atmosphere, the one that customers find welcoming, is created by his staff, he says. Or, as one teen folding clothes with her mother put it recently, her family comes because “We know people here.”

“The people here” are full-time attendant Lizeth Brito and three members of a family that share work hours: mother Valentina Hernandez and daughters Oneyda Blanchard and Mirian Martinez. All are bilingual and can converse with Hispanic customers who make up a large part of the customer base.

“Valentina and I have worked together forever,” says Makepeace, 47. They are both veterans of the large, multi-site Medlin-Davis Cleaners operation in Raleigh, and he turned to her when he started Calvary four years ago.

Did she know of anyone who could help him? he recalls asking. “She said, ‘Yes, me.’”

He names several other contributing factors, including the technological sophistication of its 30 front loaders and 28 dryers. (They include one 80-pound washer, charging $7.75; three 60-pound, $6; six 40-pound, $4; five 30-pound, $3.75, and 15 20-pound, $2.50. Every dryer—two 75-pound models, 24 45-pound, and two 35-pound—runs six minutes for 25 cents.)

They all accept Presidential dollar coins, which Makepeace says are so popular among customers as a novelty that they keep them instead of using them. “I have to replace them all the time.”

The advantage of dollar coins, he says, is the flexibility they provide customers using the coin changer. Without it, anybody putting a large bill in the changer “would have to use two hands” to hold the resulting quarters, he says. “It’s much more manageable.”

Charlotte’s T & L Equipment Sales, which provided the equipment, programmed all the washers so that the seventh wash is free. That’s been a big hit and a factor in keeping customers coming back, Makepeace says. “The first thing they do is go look at all the machines and see if any of them are free.”

Another plus is the bright color scheme, he says. A decorator friend of Lee Makepeace, David’s wife and business partner, chose the overall design. “We started with the floor (multi-colored tile) and worked our way up the (yellow) walls,” David Makepeace says.

Lee and her dad, Riley Pleasant of Raleigh, painted squares within squares in contrasting colors to break up the long expanse. Even a neighbor contributed to the décor, bringing forth a large piece of art. Purchased at a yard sale for $15, it echoes the colors in the laundry and hangs over the entrance desk.

In the front of the store, a kids’ corner offers lots of windows, a wall-mounted TV showing cartoons, and walls that, for a few feet up, are actually blackboards. Children are encouraged to dig into a bucket of chalk and draw on them.

Makepeace noticed similar blackboard walls for children in a jewelry store and thought it was a clever idea.

“Parents are focused on sorting the clothes and getting them in the washers. If we can distract the kids for at least 15 minutes, the parents will appreciate that,” he thought.

For the adults, there are two large-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi.

Believing firmly that hands-on ownership makes for success, he visits the store three times a week, as well as other times when he’s called upon to repair equipment.

When he and his wife were planning the store, he personally canvassed the apartment communities near the site, which is on a connector road between two major traffic arteries. He discovered that most residents are Hispanic families.

He returned to personally put flyers for the new laundry under windshields at the apartments. He also mailed 1,500.

Check back Thursday for the conclusion!

October 30, 2012

Industry Vets Back Again to SUDS Your DUDS

MILWAUKEE — Executive search firm founder joins mother in return to coin laundry business

MILWAUKEE — From the mid-’80s until 2000, Sean O’Byrne’s family operated a successful chain of Laundromats. For nearly 10 of those years, he helped manage the business, repairing machines and running day-to-day operations.

The O’Byrnes’ first store opened in 1984 after a distributor suggested the family turn their out-of-business gas station into a Laundromat. That store was so successful that the family opened six more stores across Milwaukee, a city of roughly 600,000 people known for its brewing and manufacturing.

In 2000, Byrne and his mother, Rosemary, sold their shares of the company to a relative and left the laundry business.

“At that time, I was interested in pursuing other career opportunities, and my uncle was able to give his growing family a larger piece of the laundry business,” O’Byrne says. “We came to an agreement, which allowed all of us to pursue our own goals.”

He went on to establish two successful executive search firms while Rosemary spent a lot of time with her grandchildren and became a full-time resident of Florida. It wasn’t until more than a decade later, when deciding what to do with inactive car-wash property that Rosemary’s late father had owned, that the mother-son team took another look at the laundry business.

Relying on their industry experience and taking advantage of advancements in machine and control technology, the pair opened SUDS Your DUDS Coin Laundry on Sherman Boulevard in north Milwaukee.

THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT MIX

The former car wash property was already equipped for the water and drainage demands of a Laundromat, and the rehab took just three months to complete.

Today, the 2,400-square-foot store features 54 stainless steel Speed Queen machines, including washer-extractors ranging in capacities from 20 to 60 pounds, and a mix of 30-pound and 45-pound stack tumble dryers.

The O’Byrnes’ distributor sales representative, Dan Baker, vice president of sales for Minnesota Chemical Co., says the mix of larger equipment will help the store generate a greater profit while making efficient use of utilities.

“Customers want larger machines so they can get more loads done at one time,” Baker says. “Newer machines are also more efficient, especially front loaders, because they use less water, electricity and (natural) gas than top-load machines.”

Customer Shakenn Allen was able to wash three weeks’ worth of clothing for her family within two hours at the O’Byrnes’ store.

“These machines are bigger than the ones at the Laundromat I used to go to,” Allen says. “That store only had machines like the ones we would use at home, and it took a lot longer to get my laundry done. This store is nice because I can get in and out quickly.”

The O’Byrnes chose to purchase Speed Queen equipment because they had used it in their former Laundromats. “We know Speed Queen is reliable because some of the machines we bought 30 years ago are still operating in our former Laundromats,” Sean O’Byrne says.

Each machine in SUDS Your DUDS is equipped with Speed Queen’s advanced Quantum™ Gold control system. It features revolutionary technology that unites equipment control, programming and store management. The full-feature control gives the O’Byrnes total command over their store by seamlessly integrating store operation data, equipment monitoring and performance with the option to network the store for remote access using a computer with Internet access.

It’s easier to operate a Laundromat this time around, says Rosemary.

“We used to have to be in our stores all day long in case something broke,” she says. “Today, we just pull out the iPads and check our software. With me living part-time in Florida and Sean working full-time at his company, there is no other way we would be able to have this business if it weren’t for the improvements in technology.”

One afternoon, while Sean was watching a golf tournament, he received a call from a customer who was having problems operating a machine after she paid to use it. From his couch, O’Byrne opened his laptop, logged onto the Quantum program and was able to start a new machine for her to use within five minutes.

“The customer was amazed that not only could I start a new machine for her, but she also didn’t have to wait for a refund,” he says. “The control system is phenomenal. That day, I’m positive, I got a customer for life.”

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

The neighborhood has responded positively to SUDS Your DUDS. The store is the one of a few Laundromats available to residents within a two-mile radius.

“The demographics in the area are definitely in Sean and Rosemary’s favor,” Baker says. “There are lots of renters, and the homeowners will use the big machines to wash larger items like comforters and curtains.”

Prior to the store opening, Allen took public transportation more than six miles to the nearest Laundromat. “This is a much better location for me and is way more convenient.”

WHAT'S NEXT

With the store’s ongoing success, Sean says they plan to open more locations in the Milwaukee area.

“We want to open at least three to four stores total,” he says. “We’re already seeing high return on investment – these stores pay for themselves and are so profitable.”

Many investors like the O’Byrnes aren’t aware of how lucrative the laundry business can be, says Dan Bowe, North American sales manager of Speed Queen’s commercial division. He and the Speed Queen team have been actively recruiting investors to the industry; Bowe is on target to open 100 new Speed Queen-equipped Laundromats within the year.

“Laundromats offer a high return on investment with little to no employee overhead, making it an excellent business investment for any entrepreneur,” he says. “Today’s Laundromats are bright and inviting, state-of-the-art and family-friendly—making the business a destination within any area or shopping center.”

“This is a great business that my family knows and respects,” Sean O’Byrne says. “We’re committed and have full confidence that we’ll be even more successful this time around.”

September 27, 2012

40-Year Uniform Rental Vet Celebrates Laundromat Opening

ROSLINDALE, Mass. — New store has ADC equipment with coin/card payment flexibility

ROSLINDALE, Mass. — Owner Jim Coletti recently celebrated the grand opening of Launder-Brite, his new coin and card-operated Laundromat, with Dave Cabral, vice president of New England Coin Laundry (NECL). The catered event welcomed customers from the Boston neighborhood and was attended by many laundry industry executives.

NECL designed and built the full-service laundry that is equipped with American Dryer Corp. (ADC) washers and dryers. ADC recently entered the vended washer arena, and the store was built with 200-G-force high-extract washers: four 60-pound, six 40-pound and seven 25-pound units.

Additionally, the store is outfitted with 18 dryers: ten 30-pound reversing stacks (AD-30x2), six 45-pound stacks (AD-444) and two 75-pound single pockets (AD-78).

A SpyderWash card system by Setomatic Systems gives Launder-Brite customers the choice of using coins, debit card or credit card.

Coletti was cautious about entering the coin- and card-operated laundry business after spending 40 years in uniform rental.

“You have to have a lot faith in estimated number of turns,” he says. “I’m not used to waiting for my customers to come to me. I’m used to going out and selling to my customers. Little by little, Dave Cabral convinced me that his numbers were accurate and that the demographics for this location were good, so I took the shot.”

From the first day he opened the doors, his leap of faith has yielded positive results.

“I recognize that this is a service business and speed and convenience are critical. The store location, layout and equipment mix really enables me to make it a good laundry experience for my customers. They really love the new equipment, especially the higher-extract washers, because it saves them a lot of time.”

May 3, 2012

Being Clean & Green Works Together

NEW BERN, N.C. — Built entirely on a "green" platform

NEW BERN, N.C. — New Bern lies about 110 miles east of Raleigh and about 90 miles northeast of Wilmington. Named after the capital of Switzerland, it is the second oldest town in North Carolina and home to some 30,000 residents.

Within easy walking distance of the New Bern waterfront are more than 150 homes and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hotels, restaurants, banks, antiques stores and specialty shops.

New Bern is known for a couple of other important reasons: Not only is it the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, it is also home to arguably one of the most technologically advanced and energy-efficient Laundromats in the country.

Owned and operated by Anna and Richard Blair, the Clean & Green Laundry is built entirely on a “green” platform. The entrepreneurs see the long-term growth and profit potential of the coin laundry business, and are committed to making sure that every aspect of their new business is environmentally friendly, minimizing use of energy and water, while providing their customers with the cleanest garments possible.

An example of their commitment to energy efficiency is a state-of-the-art geothermal unit with solar panels to heat the laundry’s water.

Energy Conscious Around the Clock

Before moving ahead with a plan for their vision of Green & Clean, the Blairs wanted to know what the community thought. They surveyed many local residents in an effort to learn what they would like to have in a new Laundromat. Overwhelmingly, customers stated their preference for an energy-conscious laundry, and since the town is active 24 hours a day due to around-the-clock manufacturing, distribution and retail operations, they wanted one that was safe to visit at late hours. To that end, Clean & Green boasts a sophisticated security system.

Since approximately 2,500 square feet of space was available, a floor plan was developed that gave an open feel with a design that welcomed customers. In addition to providing the self-service washing and drying equipment, Clean & Green offers fluff-and-fold options, too.

The Blairs carefully evaluated the various equipment choices available to them before deciding upon Maytag Commercial Laundry equipment. With more than 50 years of unparalleled industry experience and having one of the longest product warranties in the commercial laundry industry, Maytag offers a variety of energy-efficient washer and dryer models from which to choose.

Working closely with their Maytag distributor, Tri-State Technical Services, the Blairs sought the perfect balance of laundry equipment that would accomplish their green objective.

Clean & Green selected an assortment that includes high-efficiency top loaders, front loaders, rigid-mount front-load washers (30-, 40- and 60-pound capacities), multi-load stack dryers, and single-pocket dryers (50- and 70-pound capacities).

With this assortment of equipment, no matter what garments need to be cleaned—even bulky items—in virtually any quantity, customers’ needs are met quickly, efficiently and with the best cleaning value, the Blairs says.

Ease of use was one of the reasons they chose Maytag washers that feature one-touch cycle selection; an automatic detergent, softener and bleach dispenser; front controls; flexible wash options; and shorter drying times due to high-speed extraction.

The dryers sport commercial-duty door handles; stainless steel top, front and sides; and a solid die-cast door-locking assembly.

Besides the look of the equipment, Clean & Green also wanted to furnish the store to make the customer experience pleasant. Modern change machines make the purchase of laundry cycles quick and easy. The bulkheads and equipment bases are also state of the art, and the various carts and tables make the preparation of loads and post-cleaning separation and folding a comfortable task.

An inviting color scheme welcomes customers. While waiting for their garments, patrons can relax in an outdoor patio while their children enjoy a special play area. Free Wi-Fi, televisions and a complete vending area offering a variety of refreshments are available 24/7.

Financing Package

US Capital Corp., a specialist in commercial laundry equipment financing and the financing partner for Maytag Commercial Laundry, assisted Clean & Green in getting started.

Working closely with the Blairs, US Capital provided a custom financing program designed to maximize the couple’s return on investment over the term of the equipment finance period. In any new business enterprise, conserving cash is essential, and US Capital designed a financing package that did just that.

Not only did US Capital provide the financing for the Maytag equipment, the company also handled financing of the equipment’s installation and important required “soft costs” such as the change machines, carts, tables, bulkheads and equipment bases, as well as the geothermal water-heating unit.

Location, Location, Location

Clean & Green Laundry’s customers find getting to the business quick and easy. Located on the west side of New Bern, the Laundromat features two wide entrance-and-exit drives with a center turn lane for easy access.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a major four-lane highway coming in and out of town, and drivers have an easy view of Clean & Green thanks to dedicated signage.

With more than 3,000 households and 3,000 renter-occupied households within a three-mile radius of the laundry, Clean & Green is positioned well for today and the future.

March 29, 2012

Mayflower Does Right by Its Customers

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Taking care of customers is Job No. 1 for store owner Neil King and his staff

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — At Mayflower Laundry, located in a former shopping plaza, it’s all about providing good customer service, says owner Neil King.

“We take care of our customers, that’s number one. We have a clean place. We are open seven days a week, 6 to 10. There’s always an attendant on duty. We have the right mix of machines, to let customers do their laundry in a hurry if they want to. We offer personalized wash, dry and fold. We have pickup and drop-off to offer maximum convenience.”

As a result, Mayflower takes in $360,000 in revenue annually. The company earns a profit out of that volume by keeping a rein on expenses—doing 25% of its own repairs, holding down utilities to 20% of volume, and having no debt. It helps that the operation depends little on marketing, rather relying on word of mouth to generate most of its business. Finally, rent plus fees are a reasonable 11% of volume.

The 2,000-square-foot Laundromat has a transportation company and a health club as plaza neighbors. It is right off the main road and has unlimited parking. Inside, the facility is clean, spacious, with many individual workstations. A ceramic-tiled waiting room contains padded seats, magazines, as well as children’s toys. Framed paintings adorn some walls. A glass-walled office at the entrance is where management and staff do their paper work. This placement allows close monitoring.

Two 50-pound dryers and 36 30-pound dryers, all from American Dryer Corp. (ADC), are positioned along one wall. Mayflower’s washers, manufactured by either IPSO or Continental Girbau, include two 75-pound front loaders, eight 40-pound front loaders, five 25-pound front loaders, six 25-pound high-speed front loaders, two 40-pound high-speed front loaders, and two conventional top loaders.

Several vending machines, including a soft drink machine, a snack machine and gum machines, stand alongside the seating area. “I don’t make much out of the Coke machine, but I fill my snack unit by going to BJ’s (Wholesale Club) and I do OK,” King says.

1,800 WASH-DRY-FOLD POUNDS WEEKLY

Keeping the customers happy largely falls on the shoulders of King’s manager, Michelle Ligue. She and her staff of four part-timers are responsible for maintaining clean premises, solving customer problems, and keeping the flow of wash-dry-fold work going. The staff processes 1,800 pounds each week at $1.10/lb.

“I’ve been here 12 years and I know most of the customers,” Ligue says. “And I know 90% of wash-dry-fold customers’ phone numbers. It’s important to keep up with the work, including in-store customers, wash-dry-fold work, cleaning, and the paperwork.

“I train them [her staff] to have a system, do one customer at a time, plan ahead as to which machines to use. The worst thing is to confuse orders. For this to work, it’s necessary to be a multitasker, because a staffer might have four things needing attention at once. We each do our own customers’ wash-fold-and-dry work, so we make sure their stuff comes to them the way they want it.

“For instance, I have a woman customer who owns a lot of rental property. She color-codes everything. She is very particular about the folding. I make sure I give her exactly what she wants. It makes a difference in staffers’ take, for 75% of wash-dry-and-fold customers tip.”

As for hiring, Ligue doesn’t hire anyone too young. An applicant should have some previous laundry or hotel experience and must be used to doing physical work to be considered. Ligue says she can tell if a person is going to make it based on the first hour of training. She is not opposed to letting people go after a day.

EXPANDING ON PICKUP AND DELIVERY

King is doing pickup and delivery for eight customers and is in the process of expanding that business. “It’s good business because it is priced at $1.35 a pound, and it gives us more to work with,” he says. “The key is to keep the customers bunched together and to develop an efficient route of pickup and delivery.” He is placing a series of eight ads that will run in the newspapers of nearby wealthier communities to build up clientele.

“Price isn’t a problem,” says King. “Many prospects are two-career households and they want the convenience and are willing to pay for it. We even have customers come in here who have washers and dryers at home, but use us because they can do all their laundry in an hour and a half. We focus on convenience in this portion of our business.”

Mayflower also does a big business in comforters because the bedding is too big for conventional machines. Cleaning dry mops for municipalities is another specialty.

Having a clean facility is key to a self-service laundry’s success, according to King; he believes customers won’t use a dirty Laundromat. At Mayflower, there’s a cleaning checklist for every shift—morning, noon, and night. Dryer lint traps are cleaned three times a day, because the presence of lint inhibits air circulation and retards drying.

King attributes the ability to control expenses to having new equipment. “Our utility costs run 20% of volume, which is 5% less than industry average. Newer machines are highly efficient, three-phase machines. It also helps that all dryers are powered by gas.”

King motivates his staff by paying them 20% of the wash-dry-fold business that they do. This keeps them turning out good product. Finally, it helps that everything is owned. Mayflower operates with a $50,000 equity line of credit, but doesn’t owe a cent on the investment.

With the company well positioned in the Plymouth-Kingston-Duxbury market, King has no plans to open another operation. Instead, he wants to build up drop-off and pickup service and continue relying on his staff to run the enterprise. This way, he only has to spend a few hours a day at the laundry and can devote more time to his real estate and other business interests.

“It’s a good business because you don’t have to be there, and you can still make money,” King says.

March 22, 2012

Sudz Yur Dudz Positions Itself for Success

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — Two-year-old store relies on

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — It’s been more than two years since Heavenly Graham opened Sudz Yur Dudz. Like many Laundromat owners, Graham opened her store while pursuing another career. Owning the store offered her another revenue stream, while not taking too much time away from her janitorial business.

She approached the investment through careful planning and research. She chose a convenient and well-visited area in the Chino Valley shopping center, with favorable foot traffic.

With the location secured, Graham needed to determine which machinery would be best for her customers and her bottom line. She chose Pellerin Milnor and, through the guidance of local dealer Laundry and Cleaners Equipment Co., elected to equip the store with Milnor’s coin-operated washers and high-efficiency dryers.

In order to get financing, Graham submitted a comprehensive business plan to her bank, laying out strategies to create a positive cash flow. “The community rallied in support of a new Laundromat,” she said. “Our employees are professional, helpful and friendly, creating an excellent reputation, which will contribute to long-term returning customers.”

Using Milnor Capital to finance the equipment helped her to reduce her terms and have more funds for operational expenses.

Sudz Yur Dudz is located across Highway 89 from a senior mobile home park; many of the park’s residents rely on her store for their laundry services.

Four different machine capacities offer them and other Sudz Yur Dudz customers, including individuals and families, flexibility in choosing the right machinery based on their needs.

With approximately 1,500 square feet of retail space, there is plenty of room for customers to wash, dry and fold their laundry comfortably.

With only one other coin store in the area, Sudz Yur Dudz has positioned itself for success in this market. A few months ago, the store began offering commercial laundry services during off-hours to local restaurants, a car wash, a mid-size hotel and the local Humane Society. The program fully utilizes its equipment and maximizes the store’s revenue stream.

December 27, 2011

Trends in Laundry Furnishings

CHICAGO — The general structure of chairs and tables typically found in coin laundries today really hasn’t changed much in recent years, but the palette of colors and textures that are available has become quite expansive, according to some manufacturers of such furnishings.

Caco Mfg. has been making Solomatic® fiberglass seating and folding tables for coin laundries since 1960.

“We’re still using the same molds that we have for 50 years,” says Caco Mfg. CEO Randall Chaffee. “It holds up, a good design. But the colors and the textures have certainly changed.”

Chaffee says his company can now create granite-type finishes commonly seen on countertops. “It used to be just solid color, gel coat. Anymore, I’d say 70-80% of our business is the granites.”

If someone is looking at the high-pressure laminate furniture made by High Mark Mfg. for their store, they’d better be prepared to spend some time studying color samples. The company has more than 500 different colors from which to choose.

“Laminates have come such a long way, we’ve got laminates that look like granite, stone, stressed,” says High Mark Mfg. President Peter Valconesi, whose company produces fiberglass and laminate furniture, both standard and custom in design. “You can get anything you want in a laminate these days.”

Beyond standard-size tables and benches, High Mark makes custom furniture ranging from folding tables to wrap-around bulkheads. It will soon begin distributing stainless steel folding tables in response to market demand.

“They’re trying to match the equipment with the tables by going stainless and stainless, or they’re going to our laminate,” Valconesi says of his laundry customers. “We provide a lot of other products for the stores, such as bulkheads, countertops and shelving units, then they’ll match the tables to that stuff.”

RJ Papalini is celebrating its 50th year of manufacturing furniture for drycleaners, coin laundries, gas stations and mini-marts. Its product offerings include tables, chairs and benches, both standard and custom in design.

The company is accustomed to seeing coin-ops utilize bright color schemes to attract customers, but President/CEO Richard Pennington says he is seeing slight changes in that trend.

“Depending on which geographical area you’re talking about, the owners still want to have bright colors and really stand out,” he says. “In places that are not quite as economically challenged, they’re looking at softer colors, browns and earth tones.”

Where once they may have slapped a coat of white paint on the walls and been done, some laundry owners are going to great lengths to create a comfortable environment.

“A lot of these new Laundromats, they’re even at the point where they’re hiring decorators to come in and help them choose their colors and choose the space,” Chaffee says.

But any time spent discussing accents, balance, or motif will be a waste of time if the furniture doesn’t stand up to the rigors of laundry life.

“It’s function first,” Chaffee says. “They have to have tables there for their patrons to fold clothes on. They have to have an easy and durable break area for them to sit down.

“It has to be tough,” he continues. “Laundromat customers are tough customers, especially in unattended stores. There’s very little that will hold up as well as fiberglass.”

A coin laundry owner may be tempted to purchase mass-market chairs or tables from a retail outlet or a home improvement store, but it’s really only a short-term solution.

“We see it all the time, but two or three years later, they come back to us because that stuff just doesn’t hold up,” Chaffee says, adding that you have to “put the right kind of furniture in there or it disintegrates.”

“If you buy that stuff and put it in your Laundromat, it’s not designed for a Laundromat,” Valconesi says. “It’s gonna last you six months, then you’re going to buy in again.”

“The old adage is ‘You get what you pay for,’ and spending a few extra dollars now is going to definitely pay off in the long run,” says Pennington.

November 9, 2011

Tumbleweed Monopoly (Part 2 of 2)

MARFA, Texas — A well-known business strategy is to run two businesses under one roof, share the overhead, and mingle the clientele. Perhaps the best example of this in our industry is Tumbleweed Laundry.

Daniel Browning is the “Laundromateur” who pulled off the magical feat of combining an ice cream parlor, coffee shop and Laundromat. The genius is that Browning has a monopoly in all three markets.

Ingenuity is What Makes America Great

These days, Tumbleweed is doing quite well. It’s the only place in town to sit down, chat with friends, eat an ice cream sundae, and do your laundry all at the same time. The big advantage is that one staffer mans the entire operation. When Browning does his commercial volume, he and another helper are also on premises.

“That’s a big plus,” Browning says. “I know some Laundromats don’t have a person there. But we do, so we can take care of problems right away. But we are also there to take care of the ice cream and coffee trade. It’s really a good, efficient use of labor.”

Tumbleweed runs with 10 Dexter T-300 30-pounders, four 45-pounders (front loaders?) and six double-stack dryers. Prices are $3.50 for a 30-minute wash and 25 cents for a six-minute dry. “Our prices are pretty good,” Browning says. “They could be higher, but I want to balance intake with customer needs. In other words, I want to be reasonable.”

The commercial volume pays the equipment bill. That includes about 600 pounds of sheets a week from the hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in town. (One establishment, Hotel Paisano, is famous for having housed stars Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson while they filmed the movie, Giant, here.) Tumbleweed also maintains a commercial linen service, renting out about 1,000 napkins a week and hundreds of tablecloths to area restaurants. Browning calls his commercial business a “boutique” operation. Generally, the service is same day, and the customers drop off the work.

Browning pegs his Laundromat’s utilities cost at a shade above 25%. “That’s not too bad, since our gas company is owned by two cities, and rates are very expensive,” he says. “The 25% also includes commercial work, which requires heavy utilization since so much ironing is necessary.”

As an efficiency gauge, the 25% utilities cost standard is for a strictly retail operation. Of course, renting the upstairs apartment also helps offset the building costs. So all in all, Browning is pretty satisfied with the way things are going. Such a combo would have more problems in a larger town, he believes, but it works just fine in Marfa.

What’s next? Browning has his sights on opening a second Laundromat/coffee shop combo in Alpine or Fort Davis, both within 30 miles of here. Alpine has two Laundromats, but Browning feels his offering would be far superior and win a dominant share of the market. He knows this because several customers travel the 30 miles to his facility to do their laundry. Or maybe they just love ice cream.

Ingenuity is what makes America great. And Browning surely shows what can be done in a tiny Texas town. Serving many needs under one roof can be the perfect strategy.

Click here for Part 1.

November 7, 2011

Tumbleweed Monopoly (Part 1 of 2)

Relaxation and Art

Marfa is a small town of 2,200 residents with quite a bit of tourist trade. The reason for tourism is twofold: the place is a relaxing area to visit, with Big Bend National Park nearby, and it is the home of Chinati, the contemporary art museum, which designates Marfa as an art town.

In the 1970s, a successful New York artist named Donald Judd purchased a 550-acre former German prisoner-of-war camp. He began creating his abstract sculptures—large metal boxes as well as concrete shapes—and setting them all over the grounds as well as inside the 30-odd buildings. Then he invited other artists to come and work, and encouraged them to leave many works at the facility.

He got backing from the Chinati Foundation, thus Chinati was born. With daily guided tours at $25 a person, Chianti attracts serious art fans. All this is most unusual for a remote west Texas town that’s a 21/2-hour drive to the nearest city, El Paso, and close to the Mexican border.

Laundry Born in Former Hospital

So, back to Browning. Moving from Austin to Marfa, he and his wife envisioned a Laundromat since there wasn’t one in town. He produced a 130-page business plan, purchased a building, and set about creating a going concern. He dealt with Dexter equipment because he thought the company offered a good financing package. The total equipment cost came in at the $75,000 range, but he only had to put $40,000 into the venture.

The building he found that would work was an old, tiny, seven-room hospital. “Half the people living in Marfa today were born where the dryers are,” Browning says.

By doing all the construction work himself in nine weeks, he converted the hospital into a Laundromat and upstairs apartment.

His idea was to combine retail, commercial and wash, dry and fold (flip and fold). He went after flip-and-fold volume, but found that it was too sporadic and created too many hassles to make it worth dealing with. But he won hotel and restaurant trade, and his commercial operation was off and running.

One day, Browning was doing a side job, fixing a coffee shop’s espresso machine, when the owner said they were closing. Browning’s wife had been in the coffee business in earlier years, and she sometimes talked about opening a shop in Marfa. Something clicked. Why not combine a coffee shop alongside a laundry, and throw in ice cream to boot?

Browning studied his floor plan, and it became clear that he could give up some space for a coffee shop. Approximately a year and a half ago, the coffee shop/ice cream parlor came into being. It helped that the second coffee shop in town had closed, so he has a monopoly.

Perhaps Kaki Aufdengarten, Browning’s regular employee, says it best: “We’re the only Laundromat in town, the only coffee shop, the only ice cream parlor, so in a sense, we’re not a company. We’re a public service.”

Wednesday: Ingenuity is what makes America great...

May 23, 2011

Multiple Stores, Multiple Family Members (Part 2 of 2)

May 18, 2011

Multiple Stores, Multiple Family Members (Part 1 of 2)

November 12, 2010

Striking Gold in a New Country (Part 2 of 2)

June 25, 2010

Seeing Both Sides of the Coin

June 25, 2010

StatShot: Sales Plummet in July

May 14, 2010