5 Things to Know Before Starting a Laundromat Business
What One First-timer Learned from 25 Store Visits
Opening a laundromat was never on John Abbott’s to-do list. Then a broken washer sent him to a run-down laundromat, and that bad visit changed his thinking.
Before launching Johnny Rabbit’s Laundromat in Pelham, Alabama, he did his research. For more than a year and a half, John visited 25 laundromats around Birmingham, filling a legal pad with notes along the way.
Part 1 of John’s three-part conversation with Laundry Nerd podcast host Randy Radtke covers how someone who knew nothing about the laundromat industry found his footing.
Starting a Laundromat Business Means Asking People Who Know More
“I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but I know how to surround myself with people smarter than me about something I need to know more of. So, I was willing to listen.” John Abbott, Johnny Rabbit’s Laundromat operator
John started learning inside other people’s laundromats. Black mold in the soap dispensers. Missing doors on the equipment. Bare concrete floors. Those three problems kept showing up, and they became his list of what not to build into his own store. His notes also covered pricing, spacing, decor, flooring and ease of entry.
Knowing what to avoid was one thing. When it came time to build, he chose Huebsch® equipment and partnered with Alliance Laundry Systems for guidance on layout, lease terms and location demographics.
Keeping the Quarters, Adding a Laundry App
In John’s experience, most of the stores he visited had stopped taking quarters. He kept them and added the Huebsch Command app, which he says lets him follow his numbers without hand-counting coins. That way, customers can pay either way, and the store can stay simple to manage.
His team also walks new customers through the app and its rewards, because service starts with making that first visit easy.
The app’s rewards come down to a trade. Customers who add more funds earn more in rewards, and John is willing to take a smaller margin per customer if it means that customer keeps coming back for years.
Listen Now
Hear John in his own words on the latest Laundry Nerd episode 64, “Johnny Rabbit’s: The Apple Store of Laundromats: High-Tech, High-Touch in Pelham Part 1,” on Podbean, or find the Laundry Nerd podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Fair warning: Part 1 stops at a cliffhanger, so have Part 2 ready to go.
