Thursday, June 30, 2011

Card or Coin Laundromat Introduction and Advice From The Laundromat Advisor

 
The Laundromat owner who regularly visits this blog will experience a professional view of Laundromat issues provided from the Latina perspective.  I not only have used Laundromats, I am a single mother from a mixed relationship who works for a highly successful Laundromat builder and owner recognized as an expert in the industry.  I have a great number of friends who will share with me their experience and insight and if you’re interested in expanding your profits you should regularly look at this blog.
I expect that every owner of a Laundromat who has a customer base that counts on attracting a percentage of their business from the minority community should benefit from my viewpoints.  This blog will offer hard, intelligent comments on business developments with a little "salsa" flavor.
Even thought the Laundromat or Coin Laundry business has been around since the end of World War II (with the current number of stores estimated from several sources as between 40,000 to 50,000 locations) it has only been in recent years that the Latina influence has really been felt.  Until now the attitude has been that concessions to the Latina mindset was not necessary.
The Laundromat industry is primarily used by lower income and minority females and owned by upper income white or Asian males.  Because the cost of ownership and construction of new Laundromats has increased, there exists a gap that is both economic and ethnic in nature and one reason for the creation of this Blog is to provide an opportunity for creating a space where understanding can bridge this gap.
I look forward to sharing with you in the future.

                                     -The Latina Laundromat Advisor


Laundromat Decorations That Appeal To Your Women Customers Is Smart Business


Maria is an interior designer and my friend.  She was telling me about a Laundromat she had been in a while back went visiting northern California.  She said the owner had put a wallpaper (not really a wallpaper, but a wallpaper scene, but I can't remember what she called it) on the walls that made the whole Laundromat feel warm and friendly.

She showed me a picture of her taken in the Laundromat and I understand what she is saying.  Most Laundromat could use a good dose of feminine charm!  Maybe owners should take along their wives or girlfriends (only if they don't have a wife, I mean) to their Laundromats to see how they could make their facility more appealing to women.  Women are the majority users of Laundromats while Men are the vast majority of operators.

                           -The Latina Laundromat Advisor

Water Heater Sizing Considerations - Bigger Is Not Always Better When You Replace

Lizbette the know-it-all
My friend Lizbette works as an inspector in Los Angeles and is always trying to prove that she knows more about anything and everything than I do.

She knows I work in the Laundromat business so one day she said "I bet you don't know that most Laundromats I've seen violate the Uniform Building Code."  Nonsense was my first thought, but I said politely "OK, prove it Miss KnowItAll!"

She got out her Code books and after very little searching she did prove it and I realized that those people who replace their water heaters should be aware of the building code before making a mistake.

Sometimes I would just like to see her break a fingernail, bend an earring or answer the doorbell before she's put on her makeup.


                                     -The Latina Laundromat Advisor


Uniform Building Code  Section 708

Special Hazards

Sec. 708. Chimneys and heating apparatus shall conform to the requirements of Chapter- 37 of this code and the Mechanical Code. Storage of Class I liquids shall not be allowed in Group B, Divisions 1, 2 and 3 Occupancies and the handling and use of gasoline, fuel oil and other Glass I, II, or III-A liquids shall not be permitted in any Group B Occupancy unless such use and handling comply with the Fire Code. Devices generating a glow or flame capable of igniting gasoline vapor shall not be installed or used within 18 inches of the floor in any room in which Class I flammable liquids or gas are used or stored. Every room containing a boiler, central heating plant or hot-water supply boiler shall be separated from the rest of the building by not less than a one-hour fire resistive occupancy separation.

EXCEPTlON: Boilers, central heating plants or hot-water supply boilers where the largest piece of fuel equipment does not exceed 400,000 Btu per hour input.

Buildings erected or converted to house high-piled combustible stock shall comply with the Fire Code. 

Monday, June 27, 2011

Making Your Laundromat More Comfortable With Stools


I was visiting my friend Jenny the other day and she was showing me her latest purchase of black leather bar stools for the bar area of her home.  I hopped up on one and quickly realized how comfortable if was and how nice it would be to have a comfortable stool to sit on while folding my clothes in a Laundromat.  I think of crAZy things like this all the time.


I asked my boss if anyone sold stools for Laundromats and he told me they were sold by a few companies, but not many had been installed in southern California.  Sol-O-Matic (or Caco) makes stools, and some people also buy regular commercial stools from a bar or nightclub supply vendor.


You want to make sure that the stools are rated for use in a commerical location and that they're either mounted to the floor or not so attractive that someone will want to steal them.  Being fully attended does discourage theft, of course, but not many Laundromat owners in my neighborhood fully attend their Laundromats.


Getting back to stools.  I guess the squishy seat was nice, but I'd be worried it could be vandalized or cut, so I'd go with a fiberglass seat like Sol-O-Matic sells or something that was very, very, very durable.  Put in some of these stools and you might see Jenny folding her clothes very soon.  :)


                                             -The Latina Laundromat Advisor