Don’t miss our extensive Clean Show pages! Start here to access.
Recent are also listed at the bottom of this page.
CALL FOR CLEAN SHOW
BOOTH INFORMATION
If you have reserved a booth at the Clean Show in August, we want to know about it! Send us a description of what you will be showing (200 words or less) and a few photos. We’ll include it in our special Booths section. Don’t forget to include your booth number. Send it to becca@fabricarecanada.com.
A Real Team Player!
This month we are saluting those special people in your company who keep the doors open and the equipment humming through their hard work and dedication.
Anne Marie Franklin shows her dedication day-in and day-out at Gibson’s Cleaners. Learn why she’s so special!
No Staff, No Business
SERIES: Salute Your Best Employees!
I may have exactly the same assortment of things that you have at your plant. But there is a major difference: You have a team that takes those machines and supplies and uses them to accomplish great things. Your team brings them to life. With your guidance, those people are able to satisfy the needs of many people. You call me to care for your machines—who cares for your team?
Small Gestures, Big Impact
SERIES: Salute Your Best Employees!
Whether you’ve just welcomed a new hire or you’re celebrating a veteran team member’s 30th year, employees are the core of your business. And yet, even when we know this, it’s too easy to let recognition slide in the day-to-day bustle. This month, I’m sharing a few practical and easy-to-implement ideas for recognizing your team members. These don’t require big budgets or gestures. Often, it’s the small, consistent efforts that leave the biggest impression.
Saluting Your Best Employees
How Taking Care of Your Team Builds a Better Business
SERIES: Salute Your Best Employees!
In any business, it’s easy to focus on the customers walking through the doors. After all, they pay the bills. But here’s something smart operators in the dry cleaning and laundromat industry know that most don’t – employees are your first customers. If you don’t take care of your team, how can you expect them to take care of strangers?
America’s Best Cleaners Champions Circular Fashion Leadership at 2025 TCATA Conference
America’s Best Cleaners (ABC), the industry’s leading certification and consulting body for garment care professionals, continues to set the standard for innovation, sustainability, and leadership. At the 2025 Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) Annual Management & Educational Conference held at the Ritz-Carlton Tiburon in Naples, Florida, ABC Executive Director Christopher White delivered a keynote presentation titled “Fashion Circularity and You: Opportunities for Our Industry to Grow.”
EVERYTHING CLEAN SHOW
There’s a lot of information to absorb as you make your plans to attend the “show of shows” — the 2025 Clean Show in Orlando, FL from August 23-26. We’ve broken the information into special pages to save you time.
Check back frequently as new information comes in and we add to these pages. Register today. See you there!
We just added information to the Education Section, with descriptions of seminars sponsored by CLA, DLI and TRSA.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
JUNE SERIES — Salute Your Best Employees!
This month we are saluting those special people in your company who keep the doors open and the equipment humming through their hard work and dedication.
Saluting a Star!
Shawn Simmons of NextGen Laundry Group nominated one of his store managers, Mhon-Lee Limun. Find out what makes him indispensable!
An Unbeatable Team!
When Lisa Loscerbo, owner of Best Care Dry Cleaners in Winnipeg, MB, read the call to salute her best employees, she had no hesitation.
What makes this crew so special? What can you learn from them?
MAY SERIES — Laundromat Spin
Get into the Spin
Throughout history, laundry has been a community touchstone. Today’s laundromat may be small or large, and might include side services like Wash-Dry-Fold, pickup and delivery, or even a bistro or coffee counter. That’s what makes this aspect of the fabricare industry fascinating; laundromats are as varied as the personalities of their owners.
If you spend any time online and put in the words “start or buy a laundromat” you will be overwhelmed by the number of people trying to do the same thing. Whole Facebook discussion boards are dedicated to discussing the pros and cons of owning versus leasing a facility, starting from scratch or buying an existing laundromat, and all the nuances of what makes a particular business successful.
Whether you are already have a laundromat, or are seeking to acquire/build one, there are resources out there to help you. Here are some that are vital to your success:
- CLA — This association has a depth of knowledge and resources that you can’t top anywhere. CLA assists newbies to seasoned entrepreneurs through webinars, online resources, in-person meet-ups, marketing ideas, company profiles and more, CLA is a must for you to bookmark. More info on the website.
- Laundromat Owners Forum on Facebook — The members of the group discuss store issues, personnel situations, equipment repair tips, insurance questions, marketing tips and a lot more. Always lively and interactive. Check it on Facebook.
- The Clean Show — August 23-26, Orlando, FL. There is just no greater resource, including educational sessions by CLA, in-person hands-on equipment displays, and the opportunity to network with others in your field. Visit the website to get signed up.
As we dig into the creative side of laundromats this month, we’ll look at successful entrepreneurs who are trying to rewrite the playbook. Others are simply making the old formula work in new ways. Those who make it have a few things in common.
- They are realists, not just dreamers
- They have capital to invest
- They are willing to work to learn the business
- They value input from successful operators
- They spend time networking
- They are willing to take risks
- They love the idea of owning a business
If even one of those items is left off the list, the chances of success diminish. For those who have them, owning a laundromat (or a string of them) might just be the ticket to a satisfying business.
It’s not cleaning clothes that gets laundromat owners excited. After all, it’s a pretty mundane activity. What gets them going is the idea that their company is theirs to shape and create as they want, and the sky is the limit on creative ideas. Everything from interior decor and exterior appearance, to mix of equipment, to side services, to staffing will reflect the owner’s vision.
We’ll be covering this topic all month, so if you have a success story you want to share, feel free to chime in. Send us photos. Tell us your story. Our readers would love to learn from you. Send your story and photos to: Becca Anderson, becca@fabricarecanada.com.
Elevating the Experience
NextGen Laundry seeks to revolutionize the laundromat industry in Canada.
When you combine an executive background in technology consulting with a passion for modernizing laundromats across the country, you get NextGen Laundry Group, founded by Shawn Simmons. Shawn opened the first location at 199 Lakeshore Rd E. in Port Credit, Mississauga, ON in October 2024. The company has ambitious plans to expand, with new locations coming to Burlington, ON in Fall 2025 and Oakville, ON in Summer 2026, as well as a vision to franchise the brand nationwide.
Assume it will happen
I’ve talked about disasters like flood or fire in past months (read that here), but there are other situations you need to be prepared to face. A little preparation and staff training will reduce the impact of one of these events.
Your Laundromat Bucket List
Must-Visit Laundromats Around the World
SERIES: Laundromat Spin
While most people may associate laundromats with plastic chairs and flickering fluorescent lights, many have gotten a serious ‘glow-up’, becoming community hubs, coffee shops, co-working spaces and more. Here are a few that stand out from the rest.
Everything Speaks
How Small Things Shape the Customer Experience in Your Laundromat
SERIES: Laundromat Spin
Creating a great customer experience doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and a plan. But while you’re building the big stuff—like loyalty programs or better equipment—there are small things you can fix right now that can instantly elevate the experience you deliver in your operation.
Laundry in his blood
To the average person, doing laundry is something to dread. For Jeff Moak of Super Clean Laundromat, it’s a reason to get out of bed with a smile on his face every day. He’s one of the people who make the laundromat side of the industry interesting and enjoyable just through his enthusiasm.
Laundromat Management Tips from the Pros
Moderator Danielle Bauer, CLA Executive Vice President, hosted a panel discussion on April 30, 2025 entitled Store Manager Insights. The webinar brought together two experienced managers to talk about issues that all managers face. Danielle did a great job keeping it all on track and covered a lot of territory in a short amount of time.
