One Woman’s Laundromat Journey

by | Nov 25, 2015 | Viewpoint

Sometimes, it’s about being in the right place at the right time. I grew up in Foster City, Calif. And my favorite restaurant was in a local shopping center there, which was located adjacent to a rundown laundromat. In 1996, through the grapevine, I discovered...

Lease Negotiation: Mistakes to Avoid

by | Aug 21, 2015 | Viewpoint

When putting together your self-service laundry business, the lease is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Here are some of the most common – and dangerous – pitfalls to avoid when hammering out your next laundry lease: • Failure to secure exculpation of...

Iowa Laundry Owners Get a Big Raise

by | Jul 28, 2015 | Viewpoint

“Is this heaven?” “It’s Iowa.” “Iowa? Could have sworn it was heaven…” – “Field of Dreams” (1989) While the specters of baseball players past may have confused Iowa for heaven in the movie, you wouldn’t blame...

Vital Signs

by | Jul 28, 2015 | Featured Articles, Feature 1, Feature 2, Feature 3, Viewpoint

Neglect Your Store’s Signage at Your Own Risk Because a laundromat is a self-service business, there is the tendency among some owners to have a “build-it-and-they-will-wash” attitude toward their stores. In other words, the focus is primarily on the...

Mid-Year Report Card

by | Jun 25, 2015 | Viewpoint

I hope the first half of 2015 has been successful for you and your businesses. Recent surveys and economic indicators are all showing positive results, and it looks to stay that way for some time to come. In addition, the Coin Laundry Association accomplished some...

Avoiding Surprises

by | May 6, 2015 | Viewpoint

Running a small business is far from an exact science. And operating a self-service laundry – with all of the market-by-market idiosyncrasies this entails – at times can be even less of a sure thing. With PlanetLaundry’s cover story in May focusing on industry...