Wash on Western, Hollywood, Calif.
“Michael and Western State Design turned out to be a perfect match to help us with our rebuild and relaunch,"
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (PRWEB) March 08, 2017
Two years ago, after a nine month search, Ross Dodds and his partner, Russel Pinkard, finally closed on their coin-op laundromat, Wash on Western, in centrally located and densely populated Hollywood. They opened for business while conducting relatively minor renovations, which initially included repairing rather than replacing laundry equipment. At the same time, they were formulating big plans for the future.
One of their first steps was to establish themselves as a good neighbor to the community by partnering with non-profit, A Million Drops, which sponsors their regular "Laundry Night" providing free laundry service to homeless youth.
“The day our new store sign was delivered was one of the proudest of my life," said Dodds. “I went to sleep that night filled with joy, all the while plotting out my work schedule for the next day,” he continued. Dodds was awakened by a phone call at 3:41 am the next day, informing him that the restaurant next door had started fire and had destroyed his coin-op laundry. “Initially, I was devastated,” said Dodds, but “then I got busy trying to figure out how to rebuild,” he continued.
In order to gain knowledge about best practices and the latest technology in the vended laundry industry, Dodds attended the Clean Show, the Coin-Op Laundry Industry’s bi-annual Trade Show in Atlanta in June 2015. Dodds met a number of Coin-Op Laundry vendors and equipment Distributors’ representatives at the show.
Shortly after returning from the show he met with the Southern California Dexter Sales Rep from Western State Design (WSD), Michael Ambrose, about rebuilding the store with Dexter equipment. Ambrose immediately impressed him with his enthusiasm for their project and his wealth of knowledge about WSD’s line of American-made Dexter coin-op laundry equipment. “Michael and Western State Design turned out to be a perfect match to help us with our rebuild and relaunch,” Dodds said.
Among all of the commercial laundry equipment he considered at the show, Dodds chose the Dexter C-Series line of coin-op washing machines and dryers based on their operating efficiency and multitude of features. Dodds decided that the Dexter machines would not only be reliable, they would allow his customers to complete their laundry in a minimal amount of time, using a minimal amount of water and energy. Based on Ambrose's recommendation, he reconfigured his initial equipment mix to add extra drying capacity to avoid bottlenecks during peak times, resulting in the best washer-dryer capacity ratio in the immediate area.
Dodds said he is impressed with the other Dexter features, including the programmable DexterLive Controls which allow him to control his machines from anywhere using his phone or computer.
"With DexterLive networking, we can change the pricing and run specials whenever we want, as well as monitor revenue for each machine. We are also able to re-boot and re-start a machine remotely at the push of a couple buttons," he explained.
The Dexter C-Series laundry machines Dodds purchased include the following:
- (2) T-1450 Dexter Express 90 lb. Washers
- (6) T-950 Dexter Express 60 lb. Washers
- (4) T-650 Dexter Express 40 lb. Washers
- (6) T-450 Dexter Express 30 lb. Washers
- (7) T-350 Dexter Express 20 lb. Washers
- (10) 50 lb. Dexter T-50x2 Stack Coin-Operated Dryers
- (4) 30 lb. Dexter T-30x2 Stack Coin-Operated Dryers
Dodds discovered other equipment at the show that make his coin-op more customer-friendly, including a flexible hybrid payment system and a state-of-the-art vending machine containing both dry and cold goods.
“I was really pleased with my decision to attend the Clean Show,” said Dodds. “I learned a tremendous amount and met a lot of good people who provided good advice,” he continued.
With the help of WSD and Ambrose, Dodds was able to make the important laundry equipment decisions with dispatch. This allowed the partners to turn their attention to the actual design and rebuild of their laundromat which included skylights and other features to make the space bright and open. They were able to acquire the 500 sq. ft. of space formerly occupied by the restaurant next door to use for their drop-off wash and fold service. The additional space provides ample room not only for folding laundry but for organizing and storing finished laundry which allows for a more efficient value-added service business.
To further add to their coin-op’s appeal to its busy urban market, Dodds and Pinkard added a pickup and drop off service, called WashClub LA, modeled after one of the original services of its kind, WashClub NYC. Dodds & Pinkard even spent a weekend in New York accompanying the WashClub NYC employees on their routes learning the ropes.
Since Wash on Western’s grand Re-Opening, Dodds and Pinkard reflect on their odyssey.
“Though the fire seemed devastating at the time, it provided us with the opportunity to start from scratch, building a much better, more competitive Coin-Op Laundry than we started with,” said Dodds. “I know so much more than I did when I first started out in this business which has allowed us to hit the ground running,” he continued. “And, we plan on increasing our involvement with A Million Drops, moving forward, as it’s important to us to be a contributing member of the community,” he added.
About Wash on Western
Wash on Western, a subsidiary of parent company, Laundry Outlet L.A., is located at 1548 North Western Avenue in Hollywood, Calif. It is a brand new, full service coin-operated laundry featuring state-of-the-art Dexter Laundry machines that are easy-to-use, fast and efficient. Wash on Western offers same-day wash and fold service as well as pickup and drop off service. Its on-site self-service laundry features Wi-Fi, TVs, a wide variety of vended dry goods, snacks and beverages, as well as comfortable seating and folding space. It is open 24/7.To see latest developments and events go to http://www.washonwestern.com
About Western State Design
With over 40 years’ experience as a premier, full-service distributor to the coin-op laundry industry, Western State Design has grown to become one of the largest coin laundry equipment distributors in the world. Western State Design is proud to be a Dexter Authorized Distributor, and has been recognized as the No. 1 Dexter Distributor Worldwide since 2009. Dexter Laundry, located in Fairfield, Iowa, is an employee owned leading manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment. All equipment is manufactured in Iowa. Visit WSD online at http://www.westernstatedesign.com or call toll free at 1-800-633-7153.