Jeff and Annette Freking
Perry Creek Laundromat
Sioux City, Iowa
Before Getting into the Laundry Business…
Jeff continues to crop farm and also owns several rental properties. Annette worked as an RN at a local hospital for many years, but has just recently left the nursing field.
Store Opening
December 2014
Business Hours
6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. “We have an automatic door that opens and closes the store, without staff having to be there,” Jeff explained.
Staff
Two part-time attendants
Total Square Footage
2,500 square feet
Parking Availability
15 parking spaces
Lease or Own?
Jeff and Annette own their laundromat building.
New Store or Existing Laundry?
Perry Creek Laundromat was built from the ground up.
The Construction Process
Approximately one and a half years
The Cost
“It’s basically a triple lot that cost, with the building, about $500,000,” Jeff said. “The equipment costs were close to $425,000.”
Turns Per Day
3.5
Utility Costs
The store’s utility costs represent on average about 12 percent of the business’ gross sales.
Marketplace Demographics
Approximately 31,500 people live with a one-and-a-half-mile radius of the store, and roughly half of those are renters. About 60 percent of the households within the laundry’s marketplace earn less than $50,000 annually. Racially, Sioux City is “a very diverse community,” according to Jeff.
Competition
There are three competitors within a one-mile radius of the store.
Payment Options
Coins, loyalty cards and credit/debit cards. “We can load the loyalty cards for customers from our smartphones and see what our credit sales were for the day,” Jeff added.
Washers and Dryers
13 Wascomat 22-pound Crossover washers, $2.50
8 Electrolux 45-pound frontloaders, $4.50
4 Electrolux 60-pound frontloaders, $6.50
2 Electrolux 77-pound frontloaders, $8.00
7 Electrolux 35-pound stack dryers, $1.25 for 30 minutes
4 Electrolux 50-pound stack dryers, $2.00 for 30 minutes
3 Electrolux 83-pound dryers, $4.00 for 30 minutes
Water Heating System
Hamilton Engineering high-efficiency water heating system
Card System
Card Concepts Inc.’s FasCard system
Bill Changers
2 American Changer bill changers, with Mars validators
Laundry Carts
10 R&B Wire Products laundry carts
Folding Tables
7 customized folding tables, which Jeff built using Formica and steel frames
Flooring
Vinyl composition tile
Lighting
LED lighting, which is on 24 hours a day
Vending
“We have the Vision Vender vending machine that features snacks and sodas, ranging in price from 75 cents to $2,” Jeff explained. “There is a soap vending machine attached, with boxed soap starting at 75 cents to liquid soap up to $6.25.”
Televisions
Two 24-inch televisions and one 19-inch television
Additional Amenities
• Free WiFi access
• Outdoor seating
• Time Clock Wizard, which is used for employee scheduling
• Security camera system, which can be viewed from the owners’ smartphones
Wash-Dry-Fold Service
$1.00 per pound; 12-pound minimum
Distributor
BDS Laundry Systems, St. Paul, Minn., (651) 688-8000
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