An owner with fresh ideas turns an aging Vancouver laundromat into a thriving neighbourhood business. 

By Becca Anderson

What happens when an industry newcomer takes over a laundromat filled with older equipment? At East Van Laundry in Vancouver, BC, Maureen Ngo’s fresh ideas, enthusiasm and a commitment to customer service have breathed new life into a once-struggling location. 

Landing On Her Feet

“I bought the store in 2023, and it included Dexter equipment that was 25 years old, but well-maintained,” Maureen said. “The previous owners opened in the 1990s, but the last 5-10 years were not as busy. So the equipment had less use.”

After hearing plenty of horror stories about failing equipment and neglected laundromats, she considers herself fortunate to have found a good location with solid, well-maintained machines. She and her team began learning how to maintain the machines themselves, but they call for help when it is beyond them.

A second stroke of luck is that the Dexter distributor for all of BC, Bichin Laundry Equipment, is just 45 minutes away. Not only is that good for timely service, but they maintain a large parts inventory, too.

Shane Bichin, General Manager, said that the company’s warehouse is stocked with nearly 14,000 parts. “We do our best to keep a good number of parts in our service vehicles, as well,” he said. “Dexter is the one manufacturer to keep the main components of their equipment the same for many decades. This allows us to service equipment going back many years.”

For now, Bichin provides the parts and service Maureen needs. Down the road she may need more, and Bichin Laundry Equipment also offers chemical system programs, laundry carts, supplies, and new laundromat planning and design services.

More than just self-serve

In addition to traditional laundromat service, East Van also offers wash-dry-fold service, pick-up and delivery (2-4 day turn-around), and serves as a dry cleaning drop store for a local dry cleaner.  Commercial laundry services are available for hospitality, food service, salons, fitness centers, health clinics, uniforms and sports teams. The first $20 of the first order is free, to encourage companies to try the service.

Maureen estimated that self-serve is 35% of the business, wash-and-fold is 15%, commercial is 45%, and dry cleaning accounts for 5%.

The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Maureen has a variety of sizes of washers available to customers (“doubles, triples and maxis”). She and her team are dedicated to keeping things spotless. 

“We remove lint daily, and give the lint traps a thorough deep cleaning every month,” she said. “We also clean the water outlet in every washer monthly. Right now we’re fixing valves. Roughly every three weeks, something goes out of service, but we can fix it ourselves 90% of the time.”

A fresh attitude

Maureen’s enthusiasm for her store shows in the whimsical touches that appear throughout the facility, and beyond. 

• Customers are greeted with a special “Doggy Cafe” at the front door—a bowl of clean water for thirsty pups who need a drink. 
• A message in large letters on a wall in the folding area says, “Let’s get ready to tumble”. 
• On the website, a message in big letters reads, “Hooray, It’s Laundry Day.”

Not surprisingly, the company’s marketing is aimed at younger, busy customers and delivered with a wink and a smile. A social media post reads: “When you push laundry day back too long… But you remember that East Van Laundry has your back.” In the photo, Maureen is surrounded by bags of laundry waiting to be cleaned and returned to customers.

The Drop Off area in the store is a booth, and it encourages customers to “Drop your pants here.” It also says it will only take 4 minutes to drop their laundry. The combination of humor and practicality is carried throughout the store and the marketing efforts.

Blending old school with creative work-arounds

Maureen admits there are features that newer equipment has that she would like. “I wouldn’t mind having a tap-and-pay system,” she said. “Apps that tie into it would be nice, too.” 

But until that day comes, she’s devised an ingenious workaround. The original coin system remains in place, but customers don’t have to feed handfuls of coins into each machine. Instead, one quarter acts as a starter token. Customers then pay at the counter by cash or debit for however many machines they’re using. They even get their quarter back. It’s not perfect, but it’s very creative.

When asked what would be the tipping point for moving to newer equipment, Maureen said, “When I can’t buy parts for the machines.” She’s impressed with Dexter equipment, and would probably continue with the brand down the road.

Looking ahead five years, Maureen expects to replace three to five machines. Rather than replacing everything at once, she plans to upgrade one machine at a time as the need arises. 

A sign inside the store proudly notes that East Van Laundry has been voted one of Vancouver’s Top Five Laundromats. Considering the mix of careful maintenance, creative marketing and genuine enthusiasm customers encounter when they walk through the door, it’s easy to see why. 

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