Coin Laundry History

The origins of the coin laundry business dates back over 50 years. The fist wringer washer was developed around 1907, but the public laundry concept was first seen in the late 20's and early 30's. Initially all of the 'take in' laundry was done by an attendant and returned to the customer. Later, early washers were made available on a per-hour or per-day basis. this continued with the first 'automatic' washers in the 30's and 40's. The coin laundy, or 'Laundromat' concept really took off in the 50's with coin meters being added to the machines, establishing a true self-service, coin operated business. Today there are approximately 30,000 to 35,000 coin laundies in the US, which generate several billion dollars in gross revenue annually.

The first coin laundries were small, narrow stores that offered a few washers on one wall and a few dryers on the other. Many of these laundries were open 24 hours a day and did not even have locks on the doors!

Demand for this type of service was tremendous. Almost guaranteeing success for the coin-op pioneers. Many of those investors were 'absentee' owners, who were not knowledgeable of the coin laundry operation, nor were they 'hands-on' enough to correct problems. As a result, a high percentage of their laundromats fell into dismay...

Machines were not maintained, stores were not kept clean and they were open to vandals and theives. The result of the deterioration of the early stores was a very poor public image of coin-ops in the local communities.

Eventually a new breed of investors jumped into the coin laundry industry with a professional 'hands-on' approach to the business. In the 60's the industry entered a high growth period as owners built larger stores, employed attendants and offered additional services such as dry cleaning and tailoring. New owners spent time in their stores keeping the stores clean and keeping the machines in top condition. profits soared because service had been improved. Rents and utilities remained low.

Manufacturers and distributors of coin laundry machinery also prospered during this time as some distributors built as many as 20 or 30 stores a year. The demand for coin-op continued through the 70's but it wasn't until the 80's that the coin laundry construction made a comeback.

The stores being built at this time were better than ever! New areas of the US and Canada are facing mature markets and tougher competition, but the demand for quality coin laundries remains. We are seeing a trend to larger stores and stores that provide additional services, such as wash, dry, fold, dry cleaning, tailoring, shoe repair and other laundry related services. New laundries are expanding services even further by offering a variety of extras such as tanning, internet services, movie rentals, concessions, mailbox rentals, exercise machines, faxing, photocopying, key cutting and dozens of other services.

the coin laundry industry is stronger than ever, and industry leaders are very optimistic about it's future growth.