Longtime Laundromat Owner on 23 Years of Service, Challenges, Community Impact

For more than two decades, Lee Ann Geurts has been a steady force in her Brooklyn Park community in Minnesota, running three laundromats that have become known not just for clean clothes, but for connection, comfort, and care. What began as a business venture for her...

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...

Leveling the Playing Field

John Um wanted to make sure small business owners could get fair pricing and access to reliable suppliers without needing to have significant buying power. As a leader whose career spanned several major retail and e-commerce companies, he had seen firsthand how hard...

Staying Fierce: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit in Vended Laundry

Haley Gould is the Director of Partner Success for HappyNest. She manages an internal team while leading more than 100 partners across the United States building a successful pickup and delivery operation in addition to running their laundromat business. A consummate...

PlanetLaundry Podcast

Subscribe to Our Podcast

America’s #1 Resource for Vended Laundry News & Info

PlanetLaundry is the official publication of CLA and is trusted by thousands of laundry professionals to deliver the latest news and industry-specific topics.

Buyer Beware

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - Jan 25, 2013 George Morgan has seen it before. "A lot of people fall in love with the idea of being a laundry owner," said the president of Best Laundry Brokers, headquartered in Grass Valley, Calif. "They get so enamored with this feeling. They...

Cutting Costs….Without Cutting Corners

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - Mar 11, 2013 As a self-service laundry owner, you're no doubt always looking for new ways to bring in more business, to grow your market and to increase your profits. Of course, a great way to boost profits is by cutting expenses. After all, even...

I Educated Mysel

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - May 24, 2013 When it comes to a new business venture, Danny Delmarco is a big believer in doing one's homework. So, when he and his business partner, Lloyd Webb, decided to open a self-service laundry - in a building co-owned by Webb and Delmarco's...

Headlines

Competing

Originally posted - Sep issue/2012 How to Respond When a New Laundromat Enters Your Market When the closest competitor to one of Brian Brunckhorst's coin laundries in northern California lost its lease, the multi-store owner was understandably overjoyed – and his...

Diversifying His Portfolio

Originally posted - April issue/2012 Entrepreneur Adds Two Self-Service Laundries to a Mix of Business Ventures Clearly, Kwah Wai Pang likes to stay busy. With a background that includes general management, administration, computing operations, programming, and system...

Jack of All Trades

Originally posted - July issue/2012 Illinois Entrepreneur Adds 24-Hour Laundromat to a Varied Business Mix For many, the career path to coin laundry ownership is a long and winding one, with several detours along the way - but perhaps none more so than the road Kevin...

What’s Next for Utilities?

Originally posted - Dec 09, 2014 The Energy Information Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating energy information to promote...

Designing Woman

Originally posted - Oct 24, 2014 Deborah Burnett is an award-winning, internationally recognized registered interior designer, lighting practitioner, keynote presenter and author. Over her 30-year professional career, Burnett – a principal and partner in the Benya...

Coin Laundries: ‘One of Those Businesses You Look for If You Own a Neighborhood Center’

Originally posted - Nov issue/2012 An Interview with International Council of Shopping Centers Vice President Michael Niemira Michael P. Niemira is the staff vice president, chief economist and director of research for the International Council of Shopping Centers. As...

It’s the Economy, Stupid!

Originally posted - Sept issue/2012 An Interview with Leading Economic Forecaster Alan Beaulieu One of the country's most informed economists, Alan Beaulieu is a principal at ITR Economics, where he serves as president. Since 1990, he has been consulting with...

An Allied Force

Originally posted - March issue/2012 David Cotter has worked for trade associations for nearly 30 years, holding various positions at five different associations. He was named executive director (now CEO) of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) in 1993....

Think Like an Entrepreneur

Originally posted - Feb issue/2012 Cliff Michaels is a writer, speaker, strategist and entrepreneur. For more than 20 years, he has built companies in real estate, technology, publishing and consulting. He also is the former president and a board member of the Young...

Vital Signs

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 equipment offered...

At Your Service: What Laundry Customers Really Want

Orginally posted - Sep 11, 2013 Attracting and retaining more customers are the keys to any successful business. As a result, figuring out just what it is your laundry customers really want or need to spend their money on – and then giving it to them – is the "holy...

Aiming High

Originally posted - Feb issue/2012 Corporate Pilot Opens New Laundry in College Town Ross Razak's work hours are hardly 9 to 5. So, he was looking to start a small business with just as much flexibility. Not surprisingly, he found exactly what he was looking for in...

This Month's Issue

The Business of Laundry: Models That Work
PlanetLaundry Podcast: AI as a Business Partner – Changing the Game for Laundromat Owners
Member Spotlight: Redefining Utility Access for the Modern Laundromat
CLEAN SHOW 2025: Schedule of CLA Events
And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

Is Your Laundromat Open in TX or LA?

The Coin Laundry Association and its 501(c)3 charity, the LaundryCares Foundation, are trying to help the victims of the recent devastation which has occurred as a result of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. One of the primary directives of the LaundryCares...

Continental Launches Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Program

Continental Girbau Inc. and its Houston distributor, Skyline Equipment Inc., have initiated disaster assistance for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma business victims. This includes companies in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The disaster...

CLA ‘Meet-Up’ Brings Industry Together in Atlanta, Follow-Up Event Announced

On August 30, after a several-year hiatus, the Coin Laundry Association hosted a "meet-up" in Atlanta for the Georgia vended laundry industry. Nearly 60 attendees gathered for a networking lunch, educational sessions and fellowship with their peers. The program was...

PayRange Helps Raise Funds for Victims of Hurricane Harvey

With the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, PayRange - headquartered in Portland, Ore. - has launched a fundraising campaign within its app across all PayRange-enabled machines in the U.S. to benefit victims of the storm. Users will be able to add $1 to their...

Setomatic/SpyderWash Names Director of Sales, Announces Promotions

Setomatic Systems/SpyderWash has named John Kelly its new director of sales. Kelly – who has worked in the commercial laundry industry since graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011 – most recently served as a regional sales manager for Speed...