friendly tip or advice

[jbruhn]

Hi,

I live in a rural town that is developing quickly due to recreation and retirement attraction. There is no laundry here and I am seriously contemplating opening one, but I have several problems that need resolved. Perhaps you all may have some suggestions.

Problems:

IGNORANCE.....I know very little about laundromats. Only the basics, they have washers driers etc......pathetic

Where to get honest prices for equipment. Is a card system better?

Looking for any advice or suggestions any experienced individuals would like to offer...

I humbly thank you!

[Kitty]

Open your eyes wide, listen, hear and know when to trust people and when not to.

The Coin Laundry Association (www.coinlaundry.org) will answer many of your initial questions. Read what you can there, read the archived postings of members on the discussion board. Come back to coinwash and be specific with your questions, and you will have many knowledgeable laundry people gladly repling to any of your questions.

[jbruhn]

Thanks. In my seach this sight did not come up ....ever! I am not sure why. It appears to be helpful at a glance. I went ahead and order the start-up info kit for 10 bucks.....may provide enough info to tell me to get out while its still cheap!!

[anonymous]

The Coin Laundry Assoc. also has a publication called "The Journal" which has a yearly issue highlighting distributors by STATE (Suppliers Guide issue). You could throw yourself on their mercy and ask if they have any copies on hand of the latest Suppliers Guide. Then you might find some distributors to talk to about laundry layouts, etc. The manufacturers are also listed. If you don't find a good list of distributors, try calling the manufacturers and ask them for their closest dealer.

Worth a shot to get some primo info.

Good Luck!

[buddy]

First you have to do some demographic research. Are there enough rental apartment buildings in the neighborhood to support your new laundromat? Make sure apartment buildings do not have their own washers & dryers.

As far as equipments I would advice you to go for Wascomat washers and if you don't want to invest lot of money, you can buy Refurbished Wascomat Gen 5 machines.

Some Important factors in choosing your location is Rent, Parking for Customers etc. If local law permits and if Landlord allows you to buid a well, it might be worth initial invensment in Well as you would never have to pay Water Bill. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I was able to buy a Laundromat with the well in my Neighborhood and in my town i do not have to pay sewage charges.

Call dealers in your area and see who will give you the best deal.

Since you are starting fresh, I would go with Card System as you do not have to worry about re-training existing customers.

[David]

I would recommend joining the Coin Laundry Assoc., so you can get the Gold book. It is PACKED full of good advise. It is basically hundreds of articles written for the Journal over the years. It covers a wide range of topics.

If you don't want to plunk down the $250, you might find someone who will sell you theirs.But $250 is nothing to what you will spend to get started.

I wished I'd invested in it to begin with. It answers a lot of the questions you have now.

And Buddy's advise on demographic studies is money well spent too. It won't tell you all the answers, but it'll give you a good idea. (If you join the CLA, you get demo studies for about $100 less than non-members.)

BTW, that $10 packet only tells you what benefits the CLA will offer.

[pete f]

See my reply to another reguarding cash needed.

You may want to find out from the city/town if the will allow you to build a l'mat and what impact fees could be charged.
In some parts near me it is $2200 per washer... enough to make you think twice

Being in a rural area you might be able to skip this, but it is best to make sure in your planning. From there I would look at locations that offer good parking, ease of backing up close to the front door. Once you have a location sign some sort of option/exclusive if you can. Then contact equipment dealers and get pricing for the job.

[Andy]

Also, check with the local building dept. to see if there are any permits or requests for permits to build a laundry.