Blair and Charlie Johnson
Laundry World
Falls Church, Va.

Before Getting Into the Laundry Business…

Blair is a third-generation laundromat owner. In 1970, Blair’s father, Charlie, and his father purchased their first two stores. Blair has been working in the laundry industry full-time for five years.

Store Opening

The summer of 2000

Business Hours

Laundry World is open 24 hours and is fully-attended.

Staff

Three full-time employees and four part-time attendants

Total Square Footage

4,000 square feet

Parking

The store has a dedicated parking lot, which features approximately 34 spaces.

Lease or Own?

The Johnsons own the laundry business.

The Building

The facility was a former drycleaning business, which has been retooled.

The Renovation

The original construction process took eight months, while a second project in 2014 to replace equipment took 11 days.

The Cost

The initial renovation after purchasing the store was $925,000. The replacement project cost between $625,000 and $700,000.

Utility Costs

Approximately 18 percent to 21 percent of gross sales

Demographics

“Most customers come from the apartments nearby,” Blair explained. “The customers are mainly in the low- to middle-income bracket, and the majority of them are Hispanic.”

Competition

There are four competitors within a one-mile radius.

Payment Options

Laundry World accepts coins, credit and debit cards, and loyalty cards.

Washers and Dryers

24 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN20 20-pound frontloaders, $2.75
16 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN30 30-pound frontloaders, $2.50
19 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN40 40-pound frontloaders, $4.50
10 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN60 60-pound frontloaders, $6.50
16 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HTT30 30-pound stack dryers, 25 cents for six minutes
15 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HTT45 45-pound stack dryers, 25 cents for five minutes
4 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HT075 75-pound dryers, 25 cents for four minutes

Water Heating System

2 Hamilton Engineering water heaters

Card System

CCI card system

Laundry Carts

40 R&B Wire Products laundry carts

Folding Tables

14 custom-made granite tables

Flooring

Ceramic tile

Lighting

Four-foot fixtures with two strips of LED lights

Laundry Products Vending

1 Vend-Rite Manufacturing 12-column vendor, $1.00 per box

Beverage Vending

1 beverage vending machine, $1.25 for water/$1.00 for soda

Snack Vending

1 snack vending machine, $1.00 for candy bars/75 cents for chips

Televisions

4 42-inch flat-screen televisions

Check Cashing

Laundry World also offers check cashing for customer convenience. This ancillary business is located in a separate, secure office within the laundromat.

Wash-Dry-Fold Service

$1.00 per pound, with a $10 minimum order

Drop-Off Drycleaning

$1.00 per pound, with a $10 minimum order

Distributor

Laundry Equipment Services Inc., Hagerstown, Md., (800) 866-6905

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