Originally posted – Sept issue/2012
Montana Laundromat/Dog Wash Has Become the Area’s ‘One-Stop Solution’
Those looking for a quick and efficient self-service wash and dry or even more personalized laundry services – or just a convenient place to wash the family dog – need look no further.
From families and singles to professionals and pets, Express Laundry Center – a high-speed, high-efficiency self-service laundry located in Miles City, Mont. – has become the one-stop cleaning solution for a number of area residents.
Complete with Sage’s Dog Wash, this multi-faceted coin laundry not only delivers a quick clothes wash and pet cleaning, but also offers an array of amenities and time-saving drop-off services, including wash-dry-fold, load-and-leave and drycleaning.
Owners Shane and Rebecca McKinney relish their new laundry business just as much as their customers relish its convenience and personal service.
To realize their dream business, the couple purchased and renovated a Subway location, which was in a busy shopping center anchored by a McDonald’s.
“We bought the building and converted it to the Express Laundry Center,” said Shane, of the 2,400-square-foot facility. “We felt like it was a fabulous location, across from the McDonald’s. We love this business, and we can’t wait to get to the laundry every morning. Our customers say it is hands down the nicest laundry they’ve ever been in.”
Indeed, the store’s customers have access to a number of comfy leather recliners, soap and snack vending machines, video games, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions, high-speed laundry equipment and, of course, the adjoining Sage’s Dog Wash. Open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, Express Laundry Center is fully attended from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The McKinneys worked closely with Tom Millman when designing their store’s layout and equipment mix. Millman owns and operates Washtime Industries, a laundry equipment distributorship based in Greeley, Colo.
After carefully researching the coin laundry industry, the couple selected high-speed, free-standing washers and complementing dryers for their store. The new Express Laundry Center harnesses high-speed washers engineered to significantly reduce utility usage and deliver a 60-minute wash and dry. And because the washers are free-standing, they were installed easily without bolts or concrete foundations.
Unlike traditional hard-mount washers, which can reach extract speeds of between 75 and 140 G-force, the McKinneys’ machines can produce up to 354 G-force extract speeds, according the couple. And, because these efficient washers remove more water per load than hard-mount machines, laundry loads dry about 40 percent to 50 percent faster, they noted.
This shortens the washing and drying time for the store’s customers – getting them in and out of the laundry sooner – and also reduces the business’ consumption of electricity and natural gas consumption.
What’s more, Express Laundry Center – which features all frontloading equipment – is also quite miserly when it comes to water usage. Because there are no topload washers to be found in the store, the laundry saves significantly on water and water heating costs, according to Millman. A typical toploading machine consumes 30 to 40 gallons of water per load, he explained. However, by comparison, Express Laundry Center’s 20-pound-capacity frontloading washers use just 13.4 gallons of water per load.
All in all, the store’s utility costs – water, sewer, natural gas and electric ¬– represent a miniscule 8 percent of the business’ revenue, according to Shane and Rebecca.
And the laundry’s high-speed equipment enables the McKinneys to promise their self-service customers that they’ll be in and out (with clean clothes in hand) in 60 minutes or less.
Customers are in and out faster,” Shane said. “Typically, in less than 50 minutes, laundry is washed and dried.”
Getting the Drop on Drop-Off Services
However, the time-saving convenience that Express Laundry Center delivers its customers is not confined to walk-in traffic. It also extends to the drop-off services that so many people are searching for in today’s hectic, fast-paced society.
“Our drop-off laundry service is really big,” Shane explained. “We market to everyone, from homeowners and professionals to people who rent and don’t have washers at home. People are busy and want to save time. The laundry caters to truck drivers, business owners, families, motels, restaurants and care homes – anyone needing a hand with laundry.
“We keep one of the 20-pound-capacity washers and one of the 30-pound stack dryers in the back, reserved for heavily soiled wash-dry-fold,” he added.
The laundry – which has been open for about a year and a half – generates 40 percent of its revenue through drop-off laundry services, according to the owners.
In all, the store boasts 22 washers, including 16 20-pound machines, three 30-pounders and three 40-pounders, along with two 75-pound-capacity washer-extractors. In addition, the laundry features two 75-pound dryers, two 45-pound stack dryers and eight 30-pound-capacity stack tumblers.
“We have a customer who has used our laundry from Day One,” Shane said. “She has five kids with no washer or dryer at home. On Sunday, she brings about 28 loads of laundry to the store. She told us that it used to take six to seven hours and $90 to finish her laundry. Now, using our store, she does it for $35 in two to two-and-a-half hours. She uses the big washers, which cost less per pound, and save money on the dryers.”
Simplifying life further for their customers, the McKinneys have placed dual-coin acceptors on the laundry’s larger machines. Thus, the change machine is a double-service coin changer that dispenses dollar coins or quarters.
“This saves customers time, and they don’t have to lug tons of quarters around,” Shane explained. “Instead, they can use a few dollar coins,” Shane explained.
And the McKinneys’ services don’t stop with basic wash-and-wear items either.
“Our city had a drycleaner that closed down,” Shane explained. “So, we contract with a drycleaner out of town and provide drop-off drycleaning. We have a lot of satisfied customers who were desperate for that service.”
Complementing Express Laundry Center’s many services for its human customers is Sage’s Dog Wash – the first and only coin-operated self-service dog wash in Miles City, according to the McKinneys. Located in its own designated corner of the coin laundry and separated by a glass partition, Sage’s is where local pets can undergo the ultimate washing experience as laundry customers look on. The pets are dried either by using the store’s built-in blow dryer or by hand with towels that are provided. And the dog wash business even features a separate entrance for simple access.
“Our laundry customers can see the dog wash and vice versa,” Shane said. “It’s good marketing. The businesses complement each other.”
Express Laundry Center is clearly a one-stop solution for many residents in and around Miles City.
The only thing missing is a car wash.
Equipment Mix
Express Laundry Center – Miles City, Mont.
16 Continental ExpressWash 20-pound frontloaders, $2.00
3 Continental ExpressWash 30-pound frontloaders, $3.00
3 Continental ExpressWash 40-pound frontloaders, $5.00
2 Continental PowerLoad 75-pound washer-extractors, $8.00
8 Continental 30-pound stack dryers, 50 cents to start
2 Continental 45-pound stack dryers, 50 cents to start
2 Continental 75-pound dryers, 50 cents to start
Distributor: Washtime Industries, Greeley, Colo., (800) 270-8539
#Public #BusinessBio #StoreOperations #Article #PlanetLaundry
