Blair and Charlie Johnson
Laundry World
Falls Church, Va.
Before Getting Into the Laundry Business…
Blair is a third-generation laundromat owner. In 1970, Blair’s father, Charlie, and his father purchased their first two stores. Blair has been working in the laundry industry full-time for five years.
Store Opening
The summer of 2000
Business Hours
Laundry World is open 24 hours and is fully-attended.
Staff
Three full-time employees and four part-time attendants
Total Square Footage
4,000 square feet
Parking
The store has a dedicated parking lot, which features approximately 34 spaces.
Lease or Own?
The Johnsons own the laundry business.
The Building
The facility was a former drycleaning business, which has been retooled.
The Renovation
The original construction process took eight months, while a second project in 2014 to replace equipment took 11 days.
The Cost
The initial renovation after purchasing the store was $925,000. The replacement project cost between $625,000 and $700,000.
Utility Costs
Approximately 18 percent to 21 percent of gross sales
Demographics
“Most customers come from the apartments nearby,” Blair explained. “The customers are mainly in the low- to middle-income bracket, and the majority of them are Hispanic.”
Competition
There are four competitors within a one-mile radius.
Payment Options
Laundry World accepts coins, credit and debit cards, and loyalty cards.
Washers and Dryers
24 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN20 20-pound frontloaders, $2.75
16 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN30 30-pound frontloaders, $2.50
19 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN40 40-pound frontloaders, $4.50
10 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HCN60 60-pound frontloaders, $6.50
16 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HTT30 30-pound stack dryers, 25 cents for six minutes
15 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HTT45 45-pound stack dryers, 25 cents for five minutes
4 Huebsch Galaxy 600 HT075 75-pound dryers, 25 cents for four minutes
Water Heating System
2 Hamilton Engineering water heaters
Card System
CCI card system
Laundry Carts
40 R&B Wire Products laundry carts
Folding Tables
14 custom-made granite tables
Flooring
Ceramic tile
Lighting
Four-foot fixtures with two strips of LED lights
Laundry Products Vending
1 Vend-Rite Manufacturing 12-column vendor, $1.00 per box
Beverage Vending
1 beverage vending machine, $1.25 for water/$1.00 for soda
Snack Vending
1 snack vending machine, $1.00 for candy bars/75 cents for chips
Televisions
4 42-inch flat-screen televisions
Check Cashing
Laundry World also offers check cashing for customer convenience. This ancillary business is located in a separate, secure office within the laundromat.
Wash-Dry-Fold Service
$1.00 per pound, with a $10 minimum order
Drop-Off Drycleaning
$1.00 per pound, with a $10 minimum order
Distributor
Laundry Equipment Services Inc., Hagerstown, Md., (800) 866-6905
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