Ralph Carbonell had a variety of ideas for how to use the building that formerly housed his hardware store. Restaurant franchises came with drawbacks — he could own the property or the business, not both. Selling the building that was in his family for decades was another option, but not an attractive one. A friend suggested the idea of a coin laundry, which would give him complete control of the business, with none of the franchise fees or hassles that come with other ventures.
A meeting with Rob Bodner, president of Equipment Fixture Resource Inc. (EFR), further reinforced that a coin laundry would not only work at this location but prosper. While a coin laundry can be a large undertaking for a newcomer, Ralph said his IPSO distributor was integral in making the venture simple.
"Rob, with his knowledge of the codes and permits process, was a tremendous asset," Ralph said. "He assisted with everything from lining up contractors to offering store design ideas," he added.
Rob and the contractor team even answered a major challenge the 130-year-old building presented when installing a bank of washer-extractors in the front of the store.
"We wanted to maximize floor space and install a bank of washer-extractors, but the basement space at the front of the building, presented a major obstacle," Rob said. "Our solution was stabilizing the building’s original beams with a series of reinforced concrete columns anchored below the basement floor," he added. The result was a system that disperses the vibrations of the high G-force machines well away from the building.
But innovation wouldn’t mean much if the sizable investment in a 5,000-square-foot store wasn’t a success. Since opening in April of this year, Soap City has become a destination for folks in the surrounding neighborhood.
"Our store is clean, large and very focused on customer service," Carbonell said. "I think all those points have helped us build a solid core group of customers."
The return on investment and ease of running a vended laundry already have Carbonell pondering a second laundry, if he can find the right location. And with the service he received, including financing, store layout and design and construction, he is adamant that he’ll partner solely with IPSO and EFR.
