GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Before a laundromat is ready to open to the public, a great deal of time and resources is commonly spent on getting the store’s interior and laundry equipment just right.
But store owners shouldn’t sleep on the importance of what real estate agents commonly call “curb appeal,” the attractiveness of the building and its surroundings when viewed from the street.
American Coin-Op interviewed a trio of laundromat owners with varied levels of experience about how they have approached curb appeal in outfitting their stores and why they think that aspect of their operation can contribute greatly to its success. Let’s begin with Daybreak Laundry.
SUN SHINES AT DAYBREAK
Erin Nemastil (pronounced nehm-uh-still) owns Daybreak, a Grand Rapids laundromat she purchased in October 2020. Her store is roughly 2,000 square feet and features Speed Queen washers and dryers.
As a new owner, Nemastil took the opportunity to freshen her store’s appearance inside and out. Remodeling of the interior included painting, installing a new front counter (she describes it as “super retro” and repurposed), adding cabinets to the rear of the store, and installing countertops above the bulkheads.
“It was just a nice little refresh inside, really to make it a nicer environment for the people who work there,” Nemastil says.
“In the front, we cleaned out a bunch of signage, especially for promotions that were outside our core service area. We’re really focusing on the pickup and delivery side of the business, and the drop-off business. … We like doing bedding, we like doing towels for people and really just help taking care of their household that way.”
But improving the store’s curb appeal went deeper than ensuring a clean appearance.
“One of the first things I did when I bought the business was to build up the brand. It had been Daybreak Laundry since the business was first put in. It was put in in 1969 when they ran water from Lake Michigan to Grand Rapids, which is about 60 miles away. It had been Daybreak that whole time but we knew that it was time for a refresh, especially with our core service and our strategy going more to pickup and delivery and drop-off service.”
She oversaw creation of a Daybreak Laundry logo in orange and blue, featuring a house with a clothesline extending into the distance. And then there was the main storefront sign.
“The sign that had been in there, it was a little dark, and the lettering on it was a little dated. We actually repurposed the sign case that was there but we installed new LED lights and just replaced the sign front.”
Local artist Gentry DeWinter designed a front-window cling that replaced the outdated promo signage but fulfilled other needs.
“That served a couple of purposes,” Nemastil says. “First off, it’s a nice tie-in to the branding but it also provides just a little bit of privacy for the people working at the front counter.” Lake Michigan Drive is an extremely busy thoroughfare, carrying high volumes of traffic at all times, and it “kind of felt like you were on display” when standing at the front counter.
“We put up the window cling to provide a little bit of privacy, but at the same time letting it feel open,” she adds. “Then we put curtains in the front window because that is a south-facing window and it was baking that front area when the sun poured in.”
Because she is leasing the space, Nemastil says she’s limited in the changes she can make to bolster curb appeal.
“I do think that curb appeal is important for any laundry business, self-serve and more on the service side,” she says. “I think it’s important so customers understand your brand and what you say you’re bringing to the table, so they can feel good being there to improve their lives.”
Check back Thursday for more about Curb Appeal!
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].