Originally posted – Dec 20, 2013
When the Tasty Baking Company (makers of the popular Tastykake line of snack foods) decided to relocate its production facility, the move opened up a 30-acre parcel of prime real estate in northern Philadelphia, where the company’s original factory had been based.
Clearly, this caught these eyes of several well-heeled developers, including none other than Donald Trump, who had plans to turn the 220,000-square-foot site into casino.
However, the members of this close-knit urban community had other ideas. In fact, area residents became enraged by the thought of a casino being built and rallied together to defeat the project.
What the neighborhood really wanted – and what it eventually got – was a first-class shopping center, with an array of retail options, as well as job opportunities for the residents.
The anchor of the new Bakers Centre shopping mall is a 70,000-square-foot ShopRite supermarket.
“And we kind of road in on their coattails,” explained Larry Vladimir, who – along with his wife, Gail – owns the 5,000-square-foot Bakers Centre Laundry within the center. “We committed to this location early on, about two and half years before it was complete.”
Vladimir, who also works for a local laundry distributor, knew this was an opportunity that he and his wife could not pass up.
“I grew up in Philadelphia,” he explained. “I know the city, and I know the demographics here. I made the decision instantly that I wanted this location. When I’m dealing with my laundry-owner customers, I’ll run demographic reports and do a competition analysis, but I didn’t have to do any of that with this location – because I just knew it was right.”
Vladimir has been working in the industry since 1980, when he started selling commercial laundry equipment. And, in ’87, he and Gail became first-time laundromat owners, building a store in Morrisville, Pa.
“At one time, we had four stores,” he said. “They were all built in the ’80s or early ’90s. They were all coin-operated and anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet. They were successful, state-of-the-art laundries at the time, but the industry changed. Those kinds of stores can’t compete today.”
So, this past summer, Larry and Gail set about building the type of laundromat that could not only compete, but thrive.
Being involved in the shopping center project early on, the Vladimirs were able to get in all of the necessary underground piping before the contractors poured the slab, as well as achieve all of the required utility upgrades common to self-service laundries.
We literally got the store built in two months,” said Larry, whose laundry opened in August. “We hired an interior designer, who came up with a beautiful design. We used acrylic wall paneling on all of the walls above the dryers, which gives it an almost translucent look.”
Bakers Centre Laundry also features all LED lighting for energy efficiency, aluminum diamond plate within the bulkheads to complement the stainless steel washers and dryers, and high-end porcelain tile.
To help get the word out about their new laundry venture, the Vladimirs “double-bonused” their customers during the first six weeks the store was open.
“If somebody put $20 on their laundry card, we matched it and gave them another $20,” said Larry, whose washers, dryers and even vending machines accept laundry cards, as well as debit or credit cards.
The couple also advertised Bakers Centre Laundry on two local radio stations, on a number of billboards throughout the area, and on flyers that were handed out at ShopRite.
“We even hired a marketing company,” Gail explained. “They designed a logo to coincide with the name of the shopping center, and that logo is prominent throughout the whole store. We also have a website and a Facebook page.
“With any grand opening period, you need to do as many different things as possible,” she added. “And that’s what we did for those six weeks.”
“Word of mouth spread, and our store got busy almost right away,” Larry noted.
In addition, the Vladimirs were quick to become part of the surrounding neighborhood.
“When we signed the lease, we didn’t realize how involved the community was,” Gail said. “There are several community groups, and they’re energized. We became friendly with the leaders of these groups, and we hired from within the community.”
“It’s all about creating jobs,” Larry added.
In fact, last winter, 1,200 people showed up at the local high school for a meeting about the opening of the shopping center.
“What’s different about this store is that so many people want to work here,” explained Larry, who currently employs eight part-time attendants at Bakers Centre Laundry. “I get asked every day if I have any job openings. The people here want to work.”
“At our previous stores, we would be scraping the bottom of the barrel to hire people,” Gail agreed. “It’s 1,000 percent different here. Everyone is so grateful to be hired.”
What’s more, a couple of the store’s employees were hired through a city program called RISE, which stands for reintegration services for ex-offenders.
“We found out about RISE at a job fair sponsored by the community,” Gail said. “And I know ShopRite also is big on giving second chances.”
In all, five of the stores eight employees have been with the Vladimirs since Day One.
“The community groups here have held workshops for residents on how to write a resume, how to interview for a job, how to dress for an interview and so on,” Gail explained. “It’s so great to be part of this community involvement. We only hired eight people, but we’re bringing something to the community that they really need and appreciate.”
In addition to their strong ties to the community, Larry and Gail also have the distinct advantage of being located in a shopping center that attracts nearly 40,000 potential laundry customers every week, thanks to the ShopRite.
“We know what competition is,” Larry said. “Wherever you open today, there is going to be some competition. It’s a matter of building a bigger store, offering better service, supplying a better experience for your customers, achieving better marketing… all of those things. We wanted to build a store that was competition-resistant.”
Technology plays a big role in the Bakers Centre Laundry experience – from the cashless payment options to a revolutionary phone app that enables customers to start the washers and dryers via QR codes
“This is our fifth store, but it’s the first one that had this immense amount of technology,” Gail admitted. “The two of us had so much to learn. There are so many different systems going on.”
Another way the Vladimirs have tried to set their store apart from the rest is by being open around the clock.
“To me, it’s easier to run a 24-hour store, because I don’t have to worry about opening and closing,” Larry noted. “Plus, it’s going to be a cleaner store because the overnight crew can do the heavy-duty cleaning that can’t be done during the day. And, on top of that, you’re not forcing customers out of your store at a certain time.”
After more than 25 years as self-service laundry owners, what are the secrets to success?
“Larry and I have been married for 35 years,” said Gail, who handles all of the store’s bookkeeping. “We have two adult daughters that were 5 and 6 when we first started in this business. We have a good partnership. For some reason, it works out for us.”
“I love this business,” Larry added. “I’m passionate about this business. I believe in it. And I know this business, because it’s all I’ve been doing my whole life.”
#BusinessBio #Article #StoreOperations #Public #PlanetLaundry
