Jim Mason
South 4th Street Mega Grande Laundromat
DeKalb, Ill.

Before Getting into the Laundry Business…

Jim is a real estate investor who has serviced the laundry equipment in his apartment buildings all over the Midwest for 30 years.

Store Opening

May 22, 2015

Business Hours

8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily

Staff

Three part-time employees

Total Square Footage

6,200 square feet

Parking Availability

50 parking spaces

Lease or Own?

Jim owns the building and the equipment.

The Building

“I built this store from the ground up in an existing building,” Mason explained. “The building was a vacant grocery store. When purchasing the building, I had plans to use 6,200 square feet for the laundromat and the remaining 21,000 square feet for a bowling alley family fun center with bar. The bowling alley family fun center is still in the initial planning stages, and the vacant space is currently available for rent or sale.

The Construction Process

It took one year to complete the laundry.

Marketplace Demographics

The store serves “hard-working people with dirty clothes,” according to Mason.

Payment Options

Coins

Washers and Dryers

16 Dexter 20-pound frontloaders, $2.50
20 Dexter 30-pound frontloaders, $3.50
12 Dexter 50-pound frontloaders, $5.50
8 Dexter 80-pound frontloaders, $9.00
2 Dexter 90-pound frontloaders, $10.00
36 Dexter 30-pound stack dryers
8 Dexter 50-pound stack dryers

Water Heating System

Lochinvar water heating system

Bill Changers

1 American Changer quarter machine
1 American Changer dollar coin machine
1 American Changer Bill Breaker machine

Laundry Carts

30 R&B Wire Products laundry carts

Folding Tables

13 customized, hand-built folding tables

Flooring

Floorguard epoxy flooring

Lighting

LED lighting

Beverage Vending

1 beverage vending machine, $1.25 per bottle

Arcade/Video Games

The store features eight arcade games, which are leased.

Televisions

14 55-inch LED televisions

Children’s Play Area

This area includes special seating, a television dedicated to children’s cartoons and an arcade-style crane machine.

Additional Amenities

• Free WiFi
• Cable television
• Satellite radio

Wash-Dry-Fold Service

$1.50 per pound; $10.00 minimum

Distributor

D&M Equipment Co., Chicago, (773) 889-5500

#StoreOperations #Article #PlanetLaundry #Public #FeaturedArticle

Share This

Subscribe to PlanetLaundry Magazine

Get PlanetLaundry, the most widely read and accessed source of news and information in the coin laundry industry, FREE!
This monthly magazine is written specifically for today’s self-service laundry owners, operators, managers and potential laundry investors.
Subscribe for your free print edition to be delivered to your door, and get the online edition, our weekly newsletter, and periodic eBlasts sent directly to your email inbox.