The Business of Laundry: Models That Work

In today’s laundromat industry, one truth holds across every market, model and mission: success requires more than just machines. Today’s operators must choose business models strategically, execute consistently, and lead with intention. Some lean into simple,...

Green is Good Business

Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand When Green Laundry Lounge co-owners Pulin and Krishna Dasai got into the vended laundry industry, they wanted to change a narrative: laundromats are water and energy-intensive businesses. “The...

Metrics That Matter

Profit, Performance, and Planning in Vended Laundry The laundromat business is like most businesses in that you need to do a lot of things right to be successful. But how do you know if it’s working? According to successful owners, you just need to look at the...

Safety First, Last… Always

The Laundromat Owner’s Guide to Preventing Accidents, Protecting Your Business, and Controlling Your Insurance Costs As more and more entrepreneurs are discovering, running a laundromat can be a hugely rewarding business. But it also comes with its own set of risks...

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An Ounce of Prevention

May 27, 2015

How to Safeguard Your Laundry Business from Theft It's 4 a.m., a brick just crashed through your store window… and you're out of town. Do you really feel comfortable having your spouse go to the store alone? This is the type of question many people ask themselves...

Making a Statement

May 27, 2015

The ‘What,' ‘Why' and ‘How' of Mission Statements In a long history of looking at mission statements, researchers and practitioners have almost universally acknowledged the value of a singular mission as a driving force for companies – and yet have been inconsistent...

Dirty Bird Laundry

May 27, 2015

Ryan and Bernadette Hansen Dirty Bird Laundry Fresno, Calif. www.DirtyBirdLaundry.com Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Ryan was the operations manager for a produce distributor, and Bernadette worked at Costco. Store Openings Store 1: November 2009 - Fresno...

Headlines

Wash with Wally: The Keys to Cleaning White Items

At my laundry, we do a lot of commercial and residential drop-off laundry. Unfortunately, I have a tough time getting white socks to look really white. Any suggestions? Also, we wash white towels for a local physical therapist. We routinely receive towels with makeup...

New Year’s Resolutions

Laundry Owners Reveal Their Top Business Goals for 2017 Each January, many of us make a list of resolutions to help us live better lives throughout the year. Whether those resolutions are to eat healthier, work out more often, get out of debt or just be nicer to...

Business Bio: Marysville Laundry Station

Craig Wells Marysville Laundry Station Marysville, Wash.Before Getting into the Laundry Business…Craig used to work in a grocery store.Store OpeningJanuary 1, 2004Business Hours6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with the last wash beginning at 9:00 p.m.StaffThree...

A Tale of Two Stores

The Midweek Laundromat Doldrums Drove Owner John MacKrell to Seek Out Additional Business, Leading to the Creation of SpringboardIt was another quiet Tuesday. And, if John MacKrell were in the business of selling dryer lint, he would have told you – after a busy...

Do What You Like Best – And Never Give Up

An Interview with Chicago Laundry Business Veteran John VassiliadesJohn Vassiliades, president and CEO of J. Vassiliades & Co., began his career in the self-service laundry and drycleaning business more than 40 years ago. During that time, he has owned multiple...

Growing Your Business by Serving Your Community

Seniors and Other Niche Market Segments May Be Perfect Opportunities to Build Your Wash-Dry-Fold Clientele In many ways, doing wash-dry-fold laundry for seniors in your community can almost be considered a public service commitment. At my store, I have about half a...

‘Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty’

And Five Other Useful Observations on Life and the Laundry Business As I have mentioned before, I am continually intrigued by what thoughtful, introspective and accomplished individuals from all avenues of life have to say. As a result, I continue to collect their...

Minimum Wage to Increase in 19 States on New Year’s Day

Nineteen states, including New York and California, will ring in 2017 with an increase in the minimum wage – with Massachusetts and the state of Washington implementing the highest new minimum wages in the country at $11 per hour. California will raise its wage...

Elite Business Investments Unveils Expansion, Rebranding

Elite Business Investments, headquartered in Valley Village, Calif., recently announced its expansion and rebranding. The company has introduced Elite Laundry Systems, a new sub-division of the business that’s focused specifically on serving the multi-family and...

Multi-Laundry Operator Named Huebsch Store Owner of the Quarter

Huebsch has named Mark Hickey the latest recipient of its Store Owner of the Quarter Award. Hickey owns and operates two successful Spin City laundromats, located in Millington, Tenn., and Horn Lake, Miss. “Mark Hickey is an accomplished laundromat owner and is...

Laundry Owners Warehouse Salutes ‘Golden Washboard’ Winners

Laundry Owners Warehouse, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., named the winners of its 3rd annual Golden Washboard Awards at the company’s recent open house event. These awards were created to recognize the achievements of self-service laundry operators for their...

WashClub Announces International Expansion

On-demand laundry and drycleaning service WashClub, based in Brooklyn, has announced that the company will be expanding internationally in 2017. “2016 has been an extraordinary year for WashClub, and we are looking forward to continuing our market expansion in...

This Month's Issue

Tech on the Rise: How Operators Are Using Innovation to Run Smarter, Faster Laundromats: From AI phone systems to real-time data tracking, operators and suppliers share how technology is reshaping the modern laundry business and what’s coming next.
Business Profile: Delivering a Superior
Laundry Experience
Member Spotlight: Rick Rome –
Innovating Laundry, One Customer at a Time
Guest Column: How AI Changed Google Reviews (What Laundromat Owners Need to Know)
And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

Register Now for a CLA Connect LIVE Event Near You

Register now to attend the following CLA Connect Live events planned for the next two weeks. The events are open to current and potential store owners, distributors and manufacturers. CLA Connect LIVE – Kansas September 18 in Wichita, Kan. “Ideas to Generate...

Eastern Funding Announces Free Workshops in October

Eastern Funding, LLC, will host the next three events in its series of laundry improvement workshops in the San Francisco area, Dallas and Houston. All three workshops are free of charge and will take place in October. The schedule is as follows: October 3 510...

Aaxon Names New Multi-Housing Account Executives

Aaxon Laundry Systems, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., has added industry veterans Cindy Walker and Jake Hake as multi-housing account executives in the company’s Tampa and Orlando offices, respectively. Walker has more than 20 years of commercial sales experience in...

The Laundry Chute Expands College Services, Announces Partnerships

The Laundry Chute, LLC, has expanded its collegiate services in Pittsburgh and beyond for the 2019-20 school year, providing “peer-to-peer, on-demand laundry ecosystems to increase campus machine uses,” according to the company. To bolster its offerings, The Laundry...

Eastern Funding Hosts Successful New York Workshop

Eastern Funding hosted a capacity crowd at its most recent Laundry Improvement Workshop in Melville, N.Y. This event, which was the fifth in the series, was attended by a cross section of the laundry industry – including owners, potential investors, local distributors...