SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Running a coin-op in horse country is a whole different animal. Just ask Dave Harbour, whose family has been doing just that here downtown for more than a half-century.
He knows all too well the stink created when residents toting baskets meet stablehands saddled with blankets. While other owners ban the barn, having had their fill of hair and odor, all this guy—the owner of Harbour Laundry Systems, coupled with the Backdoor Equine & Pet Laundry—smells is money.
DIRTY IS NATURE OF THE BEAST
On the drive into Southern Pines, I happened upon Jasmine Hobart of locally based JH Eventing crossing May Street atop Icebreaker, her 13-year-old thoroughbred percheron cross. She was happy to take time on a brilliant morning for a little blanket talk while her upper-level, three-day event horse glanced my way: “They get disgusting and need to get washed when the weather gets warmer,” Hobart says of the blankets.
Hobart, who trains a dozen horses for various clients and estimates that 50 blankets from her stables make the short journey twice annually to the Harbour facility, says the laundry provides “a much needed service.” Waterproofing is critical, as the blanket serves as the horse’s raincoat and prevents illness.
“If my clients don’t send them in to a professional for washing, they try to do it themselves, but it never works out as well and they end up having to buy new blankets,” says Hobart, pointing out that a quality covering can top $200 to replace.
While Harbour Laundry’s full-service equine trade winds down in early July, the backdoor business continues to see traffic year-round from do-it-yourselfers washing household pet bedding and a variety of items from stables. Washer vend prices are $2.75 for the 20-pound machine, $4.75 for the 40-pounder, and $7.50 for the 80-pounder.
Store manager Ruth Monroe, who has been at the helm for a decade and a half, was primed and ready for the peak season, which broke into high gear the day of my mid-April visit.
When she and longtime attendants Pennie Bratcher and Doris Davis need support, a call goes out to Monroe’s daughter and her friends to carry on into the evening to meet demand.
“Every season, we get new horse blanket orders. They realize it’s easier to just drop it off,” Monroe says. “We love to do the blankets. There’s a lot of them, but we have a system.”
Segregating orders is critical to keep things running smoothly, Monroe notes, along with a practice of tickets always accompanying work as it flows through the process.
The muddiest and hairiest blankets are sprayed and brushed outside before being brought in for a run around the wash-and-dry track.
“It would blow your mind how dirty some of these come in. That’s just the nature of the beast,” Harbour injects. “It’s pretty amazing the job these machines will do to get them clean.”
The owner is proactive when it comes to minimizing hair and debris accumulations, with regularly scheduled cleaning of the washer drain trough and filter system, along with frequent, thorough vacuuming of the dryer lint trap and other areas.
Duct tape or electrical tape secures straps, buckles and hooks to blankets prior to initial loading to prevent them from damage if they snag on drums.
Single blankets are processed in the 20-pounder, while pairs are placed in the 40-pounder, and three to four accommodated in the 80-pounder, Monroe says. The largest capacity unit is the go-to machine for big tickets, she adds.
Nikwax Rug Wash, a natural, vegetable-based liquid soap cleaner, is employed in the wash cycle to launder the blanket without stripping off the waterproofing, which can occur when household detergents are introduced, Harbour says. A second full cycle is run at the attendant’s discretion for heavily soiled items.
Attendants add more coins and run a separate waterproofing cycle by pouring a pint of liquid Nikwax Rug Proof into the washer’s dispenser.
After dryer tumbling or some hang time outside, blankets are neatly folded and zippered up in a complimentary, breathable, clear vinyl bag.
“The customer doesn’t expect it to come out perfect like a regular wash-dry-fold customer does. They’re tickled to death with how they come out even if you get them 90% clean. They’re cleaner than they’ve ever had them,” Harbour shares.
KEEPING FAMILY TRADITIONS ALIVE
We put the shop talk on hold for a moment to take in the gallery of classic photos offering a rare glimpse at the rich history of local equestrians, including Michael “Mickey” Walsh, the late grandfather of Harbour’s wife, Tracey, and an icon in steeplechasing.
He trained American Grand National champions, founded the Stoneybrook Races in Southern Pines, and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Back over on the laundry side of the fence, Harbour is keeping his own family tradition alive. His grandfather sold Maytag wringer washers to farm wives off the back of a truck and, decades later, opened the Southern Pines location in 1962 with Dave’s father, Hayes. It was a sales and service center for the manufacturer in tandem with the company’s branded Highlander Center self-serve laundry operation.
A young Dave Harbour tagged along with his dad on service calls and eventually joined him after university graduation in 1979. By that time, Harbour Laundry Systems had expanded into a three-store chain.
Today, although the sales and service center has been discontinued, two of the original locations — in Southern Pines and nearby Pinehurst — remain, along with a newer, 4,000-square-foot coin-op further south in Raeford, built out in 1988.
Boasting 43 washers, from top loaders to an 80-pound front loader, and backed by 36 multi-load dryer pockets spread over 4,000 square feet, the Southern Pines venue anchors the Harbour-owned strip center in the town’s quaint business district.
Ten minutes away is the chain’s Pinehurst branch, where it’s a canine — not equine — affair. When self-service laundry demand slowed, the savvy Harbour split the store and debuted Dave’s Dirty Dogs, a do-it-yourself dog wash. A few bucks still gets you a wash, rinse and spin, but for $15 next door, it’s lather, rinse, repeat — plus a free blow dry.
As I get ready to head back on the road, Harbour leans over to a freshly bathed pup and receives a few licks. Small, four-legged pets are fine with him, but that doesn’t go for horses, he confides, recalling his childhood.
“After you get bit a few times by a Shetland pony, you really don’t want to be around them too much.”
If you missed Part 1, you can read it HERE.
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