Loads of Wash (Tons of It) And a Community Haven
When the doors of the World's Largest Laundromat reopened after a four-alarm fire, it returned with 301 machines, a children's play area, an aviary, free doughnuts daily and 24-hour wireless internet — a working-class Chicago-area store that had become a neighbourhood institution.
Jodi Wilgoren
After a four-alarm fire destroyed it in August 2004, the World's Largest Laundromat just west of Chicago was rebuilt for $3 million and reopened with 301 machines — including a dozen 75-pound washers and the Chicago area's first high-powered express models, which more than double the G-force in the spin cycle and cut dryer time nearly in half.
The store is a useful case study in what a laundromat can be when it is built around its community rather than only its equipment: a children's play area, an aviary, free pizza on Wednesday nights, free wireless internet around the clock, Saturday-afternoon entertainment, and seasonal events through the year. Owner Tom Benson, a former business broker who bought the 13,500 square foot site in 1999, borrowed the ideas from other successful businesses — and is candid that the motive is commercial: better morning trade because of the free coffee and doughnuts.
The lesson ADL Consulting draws from stores like this one is the same one we apply to every project: décor, amenities and programming are not decoration. They are what turns a weekly chore into a destination, and a one-time customer into a repeat one.
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