The laundry industry has grown dramatically since the early 1900's, when the first wringer clothes washer was developed. At the time, public coin-operated laundries did not exist. Today, there are an estimated 30,000+ vended laundries located throughout North America.
The public laundry concept, first seen in the 1920's and 30's, provided a place for the public to drop off laundry for cleaning. It wasn't until the 50's, though, that the self-service vended laundry, or “laundromat” concept really took off. The small stores, lined with a few washers and dryers, were in demand, but over time owners began to neglect them. As stores deteriorated, so did the public's image of the coin-op laundry.
The industry surged again during the 60's and 70's, as investors took a more hands-on approach to managing their stores. They maintained equipment, kept stores clean and brought in ancillary services like drycleaning, wash/dry/fold services and tailoring. Equipment became more energy efficient, reliable and offered more options to the customer.
Laundries Today
Today with a larger population, there's a trend toward building larger coin laundries that provide more laundry-related services and extras to make the chore of doing laundry more enjoyable. Modern vended laundries feature TV lounges, vending machines, children's play areas, restaurants, tanning beds and more. The coin laundry industry remains robust, continuing to offer investors a solid and stable return on their valuable investment.
